Board gets update on teacher and paraprofessional negotiations; costing model to be posted

Board members reported on ongoing negotiations with paraprofessionals and teachers and agreed to increase transparency by posting proposals and a costing model on the district website before the next public meeting.

Members said the paraprofessionals’ initial proposal includes a substantial pay request, summarized in the meeting as a 12% increase in year one and 10% in year two for the rate of pay; negotiators also requested changes to 403(b) contributions and an additional paid holiday, among other items. Board members said some items are straightforward to cost and will be included in a financial model, while other requested language changes or novel items may be difficult to quantify immediately. The board asked the business manager to calculate and post the total cost associated with each proposal and to publish both the unions’ proposals and the district’s counter-proposal and costing model for side-by-side public review.

Separately, the board’s committee reviewed teacher contract language and memoranda of understanding (MOUs). Members said some MOUs will be folded into the contract, some will be discontinued and a handful of language edits (dates, grammar, mentions of benefit offerings such as dental insurance) will be addressed by the administration. The board indicated the next public update will include the posted proposals and costing information.