Factfinding Commission: Teachers at fault for failure to resolve Minot impasse
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The North Dakota Education Factfinding Commission has blamed the Minot Education Association for the failure to resolve an impasse over teacher contract negotiations.
"… I report with disappointment that the contract which should have been accomplished has not been consummated," wrote Dean Rummel, chairman, in a report that was published in an advertisement in the Minot Daily News on Friday. "Three days after the Commission's Report was issued the Minot Education Association and the Minot Public School Board met, both accepted the recommendations of the Commission and reached a tentative agreement. Then the teachers in the Minot Education Association overwhelmingly voted to not accept the tentative agreement. It is extremely unfortunate that the teachers were unable to endorse this one-year agreement at a time when the District is financially challenged. The recommendations of the Commission were reasonable and affordable and should have been endorsed. As stated in the rationale for the Commission's recommendations, for fiscal year 2017-2018 the District is projected to deficit spend $3.3 million and with the increases in salary and benefits, deficit spending will probably continue in 2018-2019. No School District can continue to operate when expenditures exceed revenue year after year.
Also, in comparison to other large school districts in the state, Minot's teachers have a salary and benefit package that is very competitive. In support of that statement, Minot's salary schedule has 15 steps allowing them higher lifetime earnings; the health insurance benefit is one of the best self-insured programs with excellent options including a high deductible plan and a Health Savings Account; and the leave policies are generous with many categories including sick leave, funeral leave, emergency leave, personal leave, extended serious illness, child-rearing, political, legislative, continuing education, professional and leave without pay options. The recommendations of the Commission were based on the entire negotiated agreement and the financial condition of the District."
At a school board meeting last week, district business manager and board negotiator Scott Moum said the MEA and the board negotiators must meet one more time after the report was published and the school board must have a special meeting. MEA negotiators have said they would like to continue negotiating contracts and believe a compromise can be reached; board president Jim Rostad said last month that he believes the board is likely to issue contracts based on the last offer it made to teachers, which was largely based on the Factfinding Commission's recommendation.
The two sides are at impasse largely over salaries and language in the district's sick leave policy.
In their last proposal before impasse, the teachers had proposed an increase of $600 on the base salary. The Factfinding Commission recommended a $100 increase on the base salary for a beginning teacher, which the board negotiators then adopted in their last proposal to teachers. Teacher negotiators presented another proposal for a $400 increase on the base salary at the last negotiating session, which the board negotiators refused to consider. Teachers also want the sick leave policy language changed to enable teachers to use some sick leave days to care for an adult child over age 21, as well as for other family members. The board will not agree to make the change in the sick leave policy.
The Factfinding Commission held a hearing in Minot on June 7 to try to resolve the impasse; its recommendation was issued 20 days later.