Morale is Falling While Stress Builds Throughout District

Walk through any school in the North Fond du Lac District and you can almost feel it in the atmosphere - the combination of falling morale and rising stress.

North Fond du Lac teachers continue to work as the professionals they are, despite the fact they have been working without a contract since July 1, 1999. But teachers will tell you their levels of frustration and tension are starting to spill over.

"Every day the stress just piles up," said Gail Dudley, a NFdL Education Association negotiator. The effects are being felt in many ways.

"We are losing good teachers who are tired of working without a contract, and new teachers are reluctant to come in here with this hanging over our heads," Dudley said.

"It carries over into our private lives," Dudley said. "My husband, for example, has encouraged me to get my resume out. He's fed up with it."

But, veteran teachers of the district don't want to be driven out.

"We are professionals dedicated to providing the best possible education for the children of this district," she said. "In addition to that, we are also dedicated to this community. We are ready and willing to continue to provide North Fond du Lac with quality, professional services."

"All we ask in return is to be treated in a professional manner," said Mary Ann Johnson, co-president of the North Fond du Lac Education Association. "That means the district negotiators should sit down with us, face-to-face, and give serous consideration to some of the issues we've brought to the table."

The North Fond du Lac Education Association is one of 26 teacher locals out of 428 in the state still without a settled 1999-2001 contract. In six of those unsettled districts, the school board has imposed a Qualified Economic Offer on the teachers.

In many of the other districts, locals have settled under the threat of a QEO being imposed. In North Fond du Lac, the "implied threat" of a QEO also has played a role in the impasse.

"The school board, earlier this summer, gave the administration authority to impose the Qualified Economic Offer," Johnson said. "The administration has not imposed a QEO, but we all understand the implication of that authorization - we either bow to their position, or, eventually, we'll see QEO."

The QEO, inserted into Wiscon-sin's bargaining law in 1993, scrapped arbitration in favor of a system that allows a school board to unilaterally impose a contract on teachers if the contract meets certain minimal economic requirements. In general, the offer must provide a total salary and benefit increase of 3.8%.

Teachers and their supporters question the priorities of the district, which renovated and expanded the high school this year at a cost of $12.7 million. Yet, the district's teachers are the lowest paid in the area and the district experienced a 16% turnover of teachers since 1999. About 150 teachers and supporters conducted an orderly picket at the high school dedication ceremony this fall.

At the time of this writing, the administration was refusing to meet face-to-face with the teachers.

Johnson said there is enough money in the budget to at least get NFdL pay schedules up to the level of area communities.

Another major issue is health insurance. Retirees receive continuing health insurance based on the number of unused sick days up to 120. At the rate of $150 per unused sick days, the insurance will max out at $18,000.

"One serious illness could wipe out your insurance even if you accumulated the maximum benefit," Johnson said.

She also said the district could save a substantial amount by going with WEA health insurance.

"The WEA insurance is comparable coverage for less, and the difference could be used to improve our pay and address the issue of insurance after retirement," she said.

Posted November 17, 2000