"Where Olmsted County News Comes First"
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Monday, May 20th, 2013
Volume ∞ Issue ∞
- 5:36:49, May 15th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - Though I hated to see you reference Glenn Beck by name [Three Times ... [Read More]
- 11:42:07, May 10th 2013 - yenken - I feel very sorry for those who have commented do far, as when you stand fa ... [Read More]
- 12:10:25, Apr 26th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - Mr. "Cabtrom's" garbage-out[burst]--in response to Ms. Reisner's w ... [Read More]
- 9:51:50, Apr 24th 2013 - jeff pischke - To Jerry Grehl, the number to the fillmore county sheriffs office is 7 ... [Read More]
- 9:27:24, Apr 22nd 2013 - Cabtrom - Blah blah blah, garbage in garbage out! ... [Read More]
- 7:00:49, Apr 11th 2013 - Donald Pierce - Col. Stan Gudmundson hit most of the important nails squarly on the h ... [Read More]
- 12:44:54, Apr 4th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - My compliments to Ms. Hammer for giving us well-crafted "Rachel Rea ... [Read More]
- 5:09:06, Apr 3rd 2013 - truthiness - I see this is dated April 1. That explains it! ... [Read More]
- 12:04:33, Apr 3rd 2013 - Frank W. Hawthorne - Say WHAT?!? Stan's American-Pie [In SKY] is Falling--Not Again? ... [Read More]
- 12:40:21, Mar 29th 2013 - Jacob - It's a shame that so few people care about making their voices heard. If we ... [Read More]
28
Should the Vikings be able to use the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium?
Pine Island Board, teachers reach agreement
Mon, Sep 17th, 2012
Posted in Pine Island Education
Posted in Pine Island Education
Comments
Fourteen months and 27 negotiation sessions after their old contract expired, Pine Island teachers and school board have at last achieved agreement. The new contract covers the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic years. Its total cost is $465,705, said Business Manager Carol Hebl.
Teachers had earlier voted, 71-2, to ratify the contract. The board, at its Sept. 6 meeting, approved it, too, but not before Janet Szajner gave a statement.
Szajner, board vice chairperson and chief negotiator for the contract talks, said the settlement has left her conflicted. She thanked the Pine Island Education Association “for sticking it out for 14 months.
“The result is a compromise in language and salary. The teachers deserve a pay raise,” she said, “but taxpayers deserve financial responsibility, especially during these tough economic times.
“The board was advised to keep the amount under the referendum amount. It’s just under. The settlement isn’t immediately putting us in financial jeopardy, but the potential is there.”
Because of her mixed feelings, Szajner said, she had decided to abstain from the vote.
Then the board approved the contract, 6 ayes – board member Randy DePestel’s “with much concern” – and one abstention.
Levy for teachers?
Last November, Pine Island voters approved a school referendum that supporters touted as the “Levy for Learning” because the money was targeted for the classroom.
Asked after the Sept. 6 meeting if the new contract has turned the referendum into a levy for teachers, Board Chairman Jeff Leland said, “No. Our teachers have been without a salary increase for a long time.”
“We look at the levy dollars going to teachers’ salaries as money going to the classroom,” said Superintendent Tammy Berg-Beniak.
“This board has used some of the levy money already for technology – IT infrastructure, iPads, wiring, curriculum, IT director,” Leland said. “That funding is going directly into the classroom.”
A comparison with area schools showed Pine Island teachers’ wages below the average, Berg-Beniak said. “We have to be in the range of our neighbors to attract and keep good teachers.”
She stressed that the actual increase to the district’s expenditures is less than the total settlement amount because that $465,705 sum includes health insurance and other benefits carried forward from the old contract. “There’s nothing new in health insurance or in anything else,” she said. “But it’s really hard to determine the exact amount of the increase.”
The settlement calls for a $500 stipend per teacher for the first year (last year) and a one percent salary increase this year.
Teachers had earlier voted, 71-2, to ratify the contract. The board, at its Sept. 6 meeting, approved it, too, but not before Janet Szajner gave a statement.
Szajner, board vice chairperson and chief negotiator for the contract talks, said the settlement has left her conflicted. She thanked the Pine Island Education Association “for sticking it out for 14 months.
“The result is a compromise in language and salary. The teachers deserve a pay raise,” she said, “but taxpayers deserve financial responsibility, especially during these tough economic times.
“The board was advised to keep the amount under the referendum amount. It’s just under. The settlement isn’t immediately putting us in financial jeopardy, but the potential is there.”
Because of her mixed feelings, Szajner said, she had decided to abstain from the vote.
Then the board approved the contract, 6 ayes – board member Randy DePestel’s “with much concern” – and one abstention.
Levy for teachers?
Last November, Pine Island voters approved a school referendum that supporters touted as the “Levy for Learning” because the money was targeted for the classroom.
Asked after the Sept. 6 meeting if the new contract has turned the referendum into a levy for teachers, Board Chairman Jeff Leland said, “No. Our teachers have been without a salary increase for a long time.”
“We look at the levy dollars going to teachers’ salaries as money going to the classroom,” said Superintendent Tammy Berg-Beniak.
“This board has used some of the levy money already for technology – IT infrastructure, iPads, wiring, curriculum, IT director,” Leland said. “That funding is going directly into the classroom.”
A comparison with area schools showed Pine Island teachers’ wages below the average, Berg-Beniak said. “We have to be in the range of our neighbors to attract and keep good teachers.”
She stressed that the actual increase to the district’s expenditures is less than the total settlement amount because that $465,705 sum includes health insurance and other benefits carried forward from the old contract. “There’s nothing new in health insurance or in anything else,” she said. “But it’s really hard to determine the exact amount of the increase.”
The settlement calls for a $500 stipend per teacher for the first year (last year) and a one percent salary increase this year.
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