Norwich
Representatives for the teachers union, a local branch of the Vermont National Education Association, had asked for raises that board members said they were unwilling to accommodate in this economic climate.
The two sides also were unable to reach agreement on teachers’ health benefits, according to minutes from their Dec. 8 negotiation session.
Union negotiators opened the talks in October with a request for 12 percent raises applied over three years. Board members pointed out that the proposed raises were greater than inflation and increases in other area wages, and the teachers’ representatives trimmed their number to 8 percent over two years.
By Dec. 8, the union’s ask was a 7.5 percent raise, applied over three years. Board members countered with an offer of raises of less than 2 percent each year, plus a few small lump-sum bonuses — all of which added up to a 2.2 percent raise in the first year.
Neither side appeared willing to budge on salaries or health care benefits, the costs of which would rise under the board’s proposal. The School Board has offered teachers a set of plans that dramatically would increase their deductibles, and union members in turn have asked that the board compensate a large portion of the out-of-pocket costs.
The union negotiators first asked for a 98 percent reimbursement rate on their premiums to make up for the deductibles. That number has since fallen, first to 95 percent and then to 88 percent.
Still, after convening separate closed-door sessions in the Dec. 8 meeting, the two parties agreed that they were at an impasse that required mediation.
The union’s head negotiator, physical education teacher Rick Newton, said his group had advanced “a really strong proposal that is fair to the teachers and the Board,” according to minutes.
Tom Candon, chairman of the School Board’s negotiating committee, noted that salaries for Marion Cross teachers already were the 11th highest among Vermont’s roughly 250 schools. The union’s proposed raises still were significantly above cost-of-living increases, he said.
At more than $71,000, he said, the average Marion Cross teacher is making $6,000 more than the average Hartland Elementary School educator, and $12,000 more than a teacher at the White River School.
In a separate email to the Valley News, Candon pointed out that the proposed raises did not take into account the teachers’ built-in step increases, either.
“Including those increases would mean an additional 1.32 percent in the first year and 1.03 percent in the second year to the total salary costs,” he said.
Meeting minutes say that board members and teachers were scheduled to exchange lists of potential mediators last week.
Rob Wolfe can be reached at rwolfe@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.