The Fort Dodge Education Association Negotiations Team received the district’s proposal on teacher contracts for the next year at a meeting in the high school library. The negotiation teams returned to listen to the district’s proposal after hearing the teachers’ proposal during a Jan. 14 meeting.
“I wasn’t surprised by (the district’s) $100 base,” said Doug Brightman, chief negotiator for Fort Dodge teachers. “Like I said at our last meeting, we set the ceiling and they set the floor.”
It was also pointed out during salary discussions that the $100 increase would not include Phase II money that is allocated by the State of Iowa. The teacher negotiation team had asked that the Phase II money be integrated.
“It is far better for us to reach a voluntary settlement,” Brightman said. “However, collective bargaining does have arbitration as a final step.”
The district also proposed clarifications on leaves of absence in regards to child rearing and good cause leave.
“This is what has been taking place, but we are trying to clarify the language of what has been done before,” said Pam Rodewald, director of Human Resources for the school district. “It is basically the same.”
When an employee returns from a child-rearing leave, they are either put back into their old position or they are given a position within their contracted area of employment.
Unpaid vacations and holidays will remain the same as the previous year; they will include Labor Day, Thanksgiving holiday, winter vacation, spring vacation and Memorial Day.
‘‘These days align with FDA recommendations,’’ Rodewald said.
Meetings between the two teams will now be closed to the public until a final contract is reached.
Contact Sarah Gengler at (515) 573-2141 or sgengler@messengernews.net