Kenosha Teachers, Board Reach Tentative Contract Agreement
By Terry Lawler
Capping more than a year of negotiations and what KEA
President Ellen Kupfer described as an "exciting" two days of intense
work, the Kenosha Education Association and Kenosha's School Board announced
Saturday (March 9, 2002) they have reached a tentative agreement on a
2001-03 contract.
UPDATE In late March, both the school board and KEA members
ratified the contract. The new agreement includes across-the-board
cell raises of 2.85% in the first year and 2.5% in the second
year. In addition, Kenosha coaches, who had not seen a raise for
23 years, had their compensation raised so as to be competitive
with comparably sized districts.
Teachers gained “increased protection for having to pay part
of their insurance premiums, as the ‘trigger’ for co-pay
was raised from 18% to 20%,” said KEA Executive Director
Bob Baxter. Also improved are language conditions regarding seniority
and leave of absence rights. |
Kupfer and school board president Polly Munn held a
joint press conference and declared that the agreement would benefit both
the district and the teachers. The contract covers school years 2001-02
and 2002-03.
Specific details will not be released to the public
until both the school board and the teachers have had a chance to ratify
the agreement. KEA members will receive an overview of the tentative agreement
on Tuesday (March 12) and hold a ratification meeting on Wednesday (March
20). The board will vote on the contract at its regular meeting on March
26.
The highly contentious Kenosha teachers contract dispute
has received statewide attention. KEA members have been "working to the
contract" for most of the school year and have engaged in other activities
such as rallies, picketing, letter-writing and wearing of buttons and
red solidarity shirts.
Over the last two weeks, an unusually large number of
teachers have called in sick at various schools. The KEA said it did not
sanctioned such activity.
Kenosha Superintendent Joseph Hentges said that the
contract will require "no new taxes" for Kenosha residents but that much
work will have to be done on the current budget. He added that "both sides
had made sacrifices" to reach an accord.
A settlement seemed eminent on Thursday (March 7), but
a polling of board members that night failed to muster enough votes for
approval. Superintendent Hentges said differences regarding salary and
benefits temporarily held up the process.
When asked whether teachers would continue to "work
to the contract," as they have since the beginning of this school
year, Kupfer replied that "we are telling our members that any formal
job action is done."
"Teachers are anxious to get back to" participating
in voluntary activities that they have declined to do because of the lack
of a contract.
Munn added she hoped the consequences of the job action
will quickly disappear. Munn said state-mandated school district revenue
controls and the Qualified Economic Offer law have handicapped the negotiation
process and that she hoped the state would remedy that situation.
When asked if she was happy with the tentative agreement,
Kupfer replied that she was "relieved and tired."
Kupfer was optimistic about Kenosha teachers ratifying
the agreement.
"If we felt that the membership would not ratify this
contract, we would not bring it before them," she said.
Many Kenosha teachers
call in sick
Posted March 9, 2002