Teachers tell board district used TSS funds to cover most of agreed raise; board tables wage and administrator contracts

Council Bluffs Community School District teachers and union negotiators told the board the district used teacher supplemental salary (TSS) funds to pay much of an agreed 3% base-salary increase without timely disclosure to the negotiations team, prompting board members to table votes on the wage increase and administrator contracts and to move to an exempt session to discuss employment terms.

At public comment, Sherry Anderson, a sixth-grade teacher and past president of the Council Bluffs Education Association (CBEA), said the district did not disclose how TSS funds would be allocated during bargaining and that the practice was not transparent. "We asked for TSS amounts," Anderson said. "We were not made aware of it... This is not transparent."

Bob Hanson, a long‑time math teacher and former negotiator, told the board the district had reallocated roughly $740,000 of TSS money to cover part of the raise and that the district contributed about $528,000 in new money toward the raise. Hanson said those figures meant teachers were effectively funding a majority of the increase through reallocated TSS rather than new district dollars. "Teachers are repaying themselves $740,000," he said.

Preston Worthman, identified in public comment as the union's chief negotiator, said the negotiations team was not told that $734,000 of TSS would be used to pay part of the roughly $1.2 million cost of a 3% raise. The union said the change was disclosed to staff on April 16, after the board had already approved the negotiated agreement and after union ratification.

Jolene Miller, CBEA president and a 34‑year district teacher, said many teachers work more than 50 hours a week and that the reallocation would push some to take second jobs. "The teachers of this district trusted all of you to be transparent in negotiations, and this is not what happened," she said.

Board members discussed the complaint and the budget context. Several members said they understood staff budget constraints and the district's need to protect reserve levels as federal pandemic-era funds decline. Board member comments noted the district has not previously reallocated TSS in this manner and that the district's TSS pool has fluctuated by hundreds of thousands of dollars during budget talks this spring.

After extended discussion, a board member moved to table the resolution to approve a 3% wage increase for the standard employee group (agenda item F). The motion to table passed on roll call. The board immediately moved to table the issuance of administrator contracts (agenda item G) as well. The board discussed Iowa Code 21.9 and the authority to enter an exempt session to discuss employment conditions and strategy in private; the chair said the exempt session would not require additional 24‑hour public notice under state law.

Discussion vs. decision: Public commentators and the negotiations team described negotiations and disclosure concerns (discussion). The board did not approve the wage increase or administrator contracts; those items were tabled (formal action). Board members directed staff to meet and to consider further study in exempt session (direction).

The board's action to table preceded an exempt-session discussion; the meeting minutes record the board adjourned into a closed exempt session after the public portion concluded.