Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for November 29, 2005 TRICO SETTLES

From today's Southern Illinoisan...

Trico students, teachers back to school: Board, union reach three-year deal

BY CHRISTI MATHIS
FOR THE SOUTHERN

CAMPBELL HILL - It's back to school today for students and staff at the Trico School District.

A weeklong strike was resolved and a three-year contract signed late Sunday night after about 4½ hours of talks between the Trico Education Association and Trico School Board with federal mediator Richard Kirkpatrick assisting.

The TEA ratified the pact in a "unanimous" 10 a.m. vote, TEA President Lori Hill said.

"We were pleased," Hill said Monday. "We went a little late last night (Sunday). We really wanted to be in class today."

"The board is very pleased with the new contract," Board President Brian Chapman said. "It provides some financial stability for the school district for the next three years. We feel it meets the needs of the students, staff and taxpayers and now we're anxious to get the kids back in the classrooms."

Terms of the contract call for pay increases of 2 percent annually each of the three years, retroactive to the beginning of the current school year. The starting salary for a first-year teacher will increase from $26,958.24 plus board-paid retirement benefits (TRS) last year to $27,497 plus TRS for the current year, Hill said.

The employee health insurance issue that had proven to be the major hindrance in contract talks was ultimately resolved as well. There will be no change in insurance this year. In the second year of the contract, there will be a cap of $490,000 on insurance costs paid by the district; the cap equals this year's insurance expense. Then, in the final year of the contract, there will be a cap as well and it will not exceed 10 percent more than the $490,000 cap.

"By locking down our insurance costs and having a three-year salary agreement of 2 percent a year, it goes a long way to helping us have a balanced budget," Chapman said. He noted the escalator clause regarding the final year insurance cap provides that the savings incurred through revising insurance coverage can be applied to offset insurance cost increases that aren't expected to exceed the cap.

"From now on, insurance costs will be capped at Trico," Chapman said. "The cap language is now in the contract. The board now has some budgetary control of insurance through the cap language, while the teachers retain control of insurance components within the cap."

Hill said the TEA, representing 64 full- and part-time employees, will be reviewing insurance coverage to keep costs down. Within the perimeters of the contract agreement, if the TEA goes to a plan with $1,000 deductible and higher prescription co-pay costs, the union can then apply the savings to offset future higher premiums; the plan would have the district paying the deductible expense within cap plan.

Superintendent Dennis Smith, Hill and Chapman said the costs of the new contract have not yet been fully calculated, but all said they are pleased the strike has ended and school is resuming.

Although the agreement was reached Sunday night, Monday was still a "strike day" for the 947 students and the staff because it was too late to call school into session, Smith said. Hill and Chapman noted the missed days will be made up with the scheduling to be decided by district administrators.

The strike actually resulted in four lost days of school; teachers will forfeit the two personal days they are allotted each school year for the next two years to compensate for those days.

The district's performing arts class fall production wasn't held last week because of the strike. Smith said it will be up to students and sponsors if the event will be rescheduled.

Trico was to host a boys' basketball tournament Monday night, but since there was no school, the event was moved to Steeleville for one night only and Trico had to forfeit its game. The tourney will be at Trico Wednesday when play begins and Trico will be joining the action, Smith said.

A few other activities and games have been forfeited or canceled because of the strike, but not many. The district's Thanksgiving break was already scheduled from 2:40 p.m. Wednesday until Monday morning.

Although the pact won't be completely official until voted on by the full board, Chapman said he anticipates the board will give its approval at the regular board meeting Dec. 15, since all board members are on the insurance committee that authorized the pact.

"I'm not a politician and I don't know how to put a spin on things," Hill concluded. "I'm a teacher, up-front, honest and open. But I must say I'm proud of the way the TEA has handled itself. We are thrilled to be back in the classroom. That's where we really want to be, with our students, and we are thrilled."