Madison Teachers Ratify Contract
Madison teachers Thursday night (December 11, 1997) ended their long,
bitter battle with the school board by ratifying a new two-year contract.
At a special membership meeting, the teachers voted overwhelmingly in
favor of the tentative agreement was that reached December 5 with the
school board. That agreement was the result of a compromise proposal from
mediator Bill Houlihan.
Earlier in the week, Houlihan declared an impasse, after the school board
at first rejected his compromise settlement. Madison Teachers Inc. had
accepted the mediator's plan.
MTI Executive Director John Matthews said the settlement finally was
made possible by school board president Juan Jose Lopez, who contacted
Matthews after the deadlock was declared, and asked to explore resolution.
On December 5, the school board reconsidered its rejection of the mediator's
proposal, and voted in favor of it.
Under the settlement, base wages will effectively be increased two percent
for each year of the contract. The tentative agreement also provides improved
benefits for teachers, including health insurance benefits for domestic
partners.
The board and MTI also agreed to establish several study committees to
explore class size issues, means to improve labor relations, and ways
to improve student achievement.
Posted December 5, 1997; Updated December 12, 1997