Charles Crane/MDN Minot Education Association negotiator Dean Winczewski speaks while MEA negotiator Lisa Wolff looks on during a negotiations committee meeting at the Central Middle School Auditorium on Wednesday.

After five rounds of contract negotiations between Minot Public Schools and the Minot Education Association, the parties hammered out the final language for the deal at a committee meeting Wednesday.

The parties previously had agreed on a one year contract and to dissolve safety and professional learning committees. The MEA had asked for changes requiring teachers to have 15 years of employment credit in the district before they become eligible to participate in the district’s group health insurance plan in retirement if not yet age 65 and for provisions related to unused sick leave compensation and the deadlines for notice of intent to return from child-rearing leave.

MPS School Board member Sabrina Herrmann indicated a proposed travel voucher system for teachers assigned to more than one school building, which the MEA objected to, could be taken off the table. Herrmann said the language would revert back to the 2023-2024 contract and be revisited in future negotiations. Under this language, teachers assigned to two buildings will receive 2% of the base pay and those assigned to three or more will receive 3%.

Herrmann said the board rejected a proposed 2% raise to the base pay salary of $44,550, which would have amounted to an additional $891 for next year. Herrmann said the board would maintain step and lane advancements. The board also rejected reducing the contract days from 185 to 183 and the MEA negotiator’s proposal to increase personal leave days from four to five.

Herrman also proposed a modification to the proposed retention pay, saying after some calculations it was determined some staff would fall through the cracks if they had exhausted their step advancements. The new proposal would be bonuses of $750 or $1,200, depending on teachers’ experience and education.

MEA representative Dean Winczewski sought clarification on language which would sunset the retention bonuses at the conclusion of the one year deal and not be included in future negotiations, but Herrmann said the intent wasn’t that retention bonuses would never be considered again in future negotiations.

The parties paused the proceedings for an executive session and caucus of MEA members, during which both parties agreed to keep the existing salary pay scale and the retention bonus.

MEA representative Lisa Wolf said the MEA was willing to accept the change to retention pay, but there were “grave concerns” around ratification of the negotiated deal if that was the next step. Wolf said ratification would be a challenge with school being out for the summer and indicated it would be, “a hard sell” for the MEA membership.

“I’m going to be brutally honest with you. It is. It’s so discouraging. I feel that almost everything we’ve suggested has been rejected,” Wolf said.

Winczewksi expressed that MEA members have grown tired after nine cycles of deficit spending by the district, which he said has been compounded by increased class sizes.

“We’ve seen the split in high schools, more reps for teachers, which means increased work. We have more teachers traveling. We’ve done our part, and now with the reevaluation of our benefit package there’s a complete fear that we’re going to go backwards there as well. There’s a tremendous fear there,” Winczewski said. “The number of times that I’ve asked, ‘What are you doing to keep teachers?’ there hasn’t been an answer. I’m sorry, there hasn’t been.”

Winczewski acknowledged district representatives also are frustrated by the issues arising during negotiations but said the 635 teachers in the district have grown frustrated as well.

“I can tell you, this can’t continue. I made light of it last time – ‘the last person out, shut the lights off.’ That might seem dire, but I don’t think it’s that far fetched either. I’m sorry, that’s the reality of where teachers are in our district. And then we get the legislative news that they’re going to cut from 1 to 2 percent. Where does it end?” Winczewski said.

Winczewski mentioned the district built Minot North High School in the midst of declining enrollment, which he said was something unprecedented in the state.

“And now we’re building it on the backs of the people working with the kids. I will say this, no matter what comes on that modification is going to be difficult,” Winczewski concluded.

Wolf asked for clarification that an MEA representative would work with MPS as pay and benefits are reviewed over the next nine months.

“The old saying goes, ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,’ and we would really like to be a part of the discussions of what our benefits will look like. We’re actually in the trenches doing this work. It’d be nice to talk about if there will be changes, what the changes will be,” Wolf said.

Herrmann said she didn’t think anyone on the board would be opposed to that, but it could prove difficult for an MEA representative to participate during the school day due to the time commitment required. She said the district would accommodate them as much as possible.

The parties closed the proceedings for another caucus, after which MPS agreed to a proposed increase for accumulated personal leave days. The next step is ratification of the deal by the MEA members.

Board member Scott Louser said the whole process had been a learning experience for him as a new board member, but he felt despite a raise to the base salary not being in the cards, the committee had struck a balance.

Additional negotiations could be required if the deal is not ratified by MEA members by the deadline at the end of June. If the MEA ratifies the deal before then, MPS negotiators would present it at the next school board meeting in June.