The Menahga School Board's Certified Negotiations Committee and representatives from Education Minnesota Menahga (EMM) are currently in the midst of mediation on the 2007-09 contract.
Those on the School Board Certified Negotiations Committee are chief negotiator Durwin Tomperi, Curtis Hasbargen and Hugo Pulju. EMM's representatives are chief negotiator Al Cleveland, Michelle Castren, Dan Besonen and Dawn Rossbach.
After one mediation session in December, the two groups will meet again for a mediation session Thursday, Jan. 3 in St. Paul at the State Bureau of Mediation Services.
According to Cleveland, both parties had filed for mediation.
The school board committee's current proposal for the average total salary and compensation per teacher is $58,556 for 2007-08 and $59,471 for 2008-09. The committee proposed a total increase of $59,610 for 2007-08 and $50,050 for 2008-09.
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The committee's total two-year package proposal would cost $109,659. The actual aggregate two-year total package is $169,269. This is a percentage increase of about 5.4 percent and $3,097 increased cost per teacher.
According to the committee's fact sheet, the teacher's school year consists of 179 days and the average teacher cost per day for 2007-08 would be $327 and in 2008-09 $332 per day.
The school board's proposal is based on a percentage of anticipated state aid. Menahga School District is one of the 10 percent in the state that does not have an operating levy referendum to generate additional local dollars for the budget.
According to the school board fact sheet, EMM proposed the average total salary and compensation per teacher at $61,005 for 2007-08 and $65,057 for 2008-09. The proposed total increase for 2007-08 is $193,513 and $221,479 for 2008-09.
The EMM's total two-year package proposal is $414,992. The actual aggregate two-year total package is $608,504. This is a percentage increase of about 19 percent and $11,132 increased cost per teacher.
The formula to come up with the aggregate total is to double the first year's total before the second year is added to it. In other words, the first year is being counted twice.
Therefore, if the first year is larger than the second year the aggregate two-year total is being "front end loaded." A front end loaded settlement is more expensive than a settlement that has a larger amount in the second year.
Tomperi pointed out the school district expects to receive $106,290 from the state for the 2007-08 school year and for 2008-09 the school district expects to receive $46,956.
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The fact sheet stated, "The aggregate total of new basic general education formula revenue equals $259,536 whereby the union's aggregate expenditure total of their proposal is $608,505."
According to the fact sheet, in 2006-07 the substitute teacher cost to the district was approximately $72,965. This cost is also not included in the proposal.
The two groups currently remain $439,235 apart in salary and benefits and this does not include additional dollars for proposals such as more time off, accumulation of personal leave from three to five days, addition of association leave from four to 10 days and additional personal time off accumulated to 11 days of paid leave per year.
If the school district does not settle the contract before Tuesday, Jan. 15 it will be faced with a monetary penalty, which will be deducted from future aid.
