Polson teachers picket again, negotiations continue

Dozens of Polson teachers staged what a union representative called an "informational picket" to draw attention to the fact that they still don't have a signed contract prior to a 7 p.m. bargaining session with the school board Tuesday night.

Tuesday night's negotiation session ended without a signed contract for either the 2004-2005 or 2005-2006 school year, although both side have narrowed down the list of differences to several main issues — the district's Progressive Corrective Evaluation (PCE) process, whether priority should be given to teachers with more job experience applying for a job within the district, and just how much of a base pay increase teachers can expect for this school year.

Under the PCE process, first-year teachers are currently afforded the same protection as tenured teachers, and can be involved in a four-step evaluation process to correct any performance problems before being fired. The board would like to apply the PCE process to only tenured teachers, who don't get that protection until their fourth contract year under state law.

Montana is a "right to work" state, so the teachers union fears new teachers could be let go with little or no corrective action, while the board would like the ability to remove poorly performing teachers without the risk of a lawsuit.

"Technically, what they are asking for isn't day-one tenure, but in all practicality, that's what it is. The protections (in the PCE process) are basically the equivalent of day-one tenure," board member Joe Hovenkotter said Tuesday night.

"[Removing teachers from the PCE process] would allow a new teacher to basically go through a year of teaching with no assistance or help from an administrator, have good evaluations, and then be fired with no just cause or reason," said union president Marlin Lewis, who represents the Polson Education Association. "We believe that every teacher should be given an opportunity to correct or improve in an area in which the administrator feels that they are not performing to the expectations of the administration."

Likewise, the teachers union still wants priority given to the most senior teachers who apply for a transfer within the district, while the board says the district should be able to hire the best person for the job — not necessarily the one with the most experience.

"The best fit for the job," Hovenkotter said.

"That's how you get the best school for your kids," said board member Elke Allik.

"This is language we are proposing," Lewis said, explaining that, all things being equal, a teacher with more experience should be given priority. "It also gives a teacher not granted a transfer the opportunity to ask for a written explanation of why they were not transferred."

But the biggest issue is probably a raise in the base salary being negotiated for the 2005-2006 year. While the board offered a raise of 3.5 percent at a negotiation session late last month, the teachers union is asking for 6.5 percent, saying that increases in the district's general fund budgets, coupled with additional money from successful mil levies passed earlier this year, justify the increase.

According to salary information provided by the board, a 3.5 percent increase for this year, coupled with the board's proposed $445-per-month health plan contribution, would mean that pay for an entry level teacher would start at about $25,800 and go all the way up to approximately $56,000 for the most senior level teachers, under the "steps and lanes" salary scale that pays teachers more for more experience and education.

These salary figures include all benefits built into them, not the actual direct pay rate for most teachers, Lewis noted. He said teachers should share in recent budget and revenue increases.

"The elementary and high school general fund budgets for this year are up 9.9 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively, this year," Lewis said. "We would like a fair increase on the base [pay] for this year to offset the increase in insurance costs, in inflation, and in continuing education costs. The portion of the general fund budget devoted to teachers' salaries has been decreasing steadily over the last few years and we do not think this is a healthy trend for our district in order to attract and maintain a highly qualified teaching staff."

Lewis noted that this salary range, which includes all benefits, is not indicative of teachers' take-home pay, which he said has actually decreased substantially over the past few years as teachers have shouldered more and more health insurance costs, especially. Some teachers in the district pay hundreds of dollars per month out of pocket for full coverage for their family, despite what the district contributes, Lewis emphasized.

Coupled with inflation and other factors, teachers have seen a real decrease over the past few years, he said.

While board members prepared for the negotiation session, teachers marched and chanted right outside of the administration office. Many of them carried signs asking for a signed contract and emphasizing their commitment to the district's students.

"I don't disagree with any one of those signs out there. I'm all for the children, too. I'd also like a signed contract," trustee Bob Hanson said.

"I hope nobody thinks we don't value our teachers," Allik said. "But we have a fiscal obligation to our community."

Negotiations will resume Oct. 18 with a mediator.