Mediator called in for Rainier teacher talks
Sunday, July 18, 2004 12:06 AM PDT
By Venice Buhain
Printable version
E-mail this articleRAINIER -- Rainier teachers and adminsitrators meet Monday with a mediator to try to settle differences in their contract negotiations.
The mediator is scheduled for two days of sessions at the Rainier Junior/Senior High School campus, though negotiations could end sooner if both sides come to an agreement, Rainier Superintendent Michael Carter said.
The teachers are planning an 8:30 a.m. rally on the grassy area near the cafeteria before the mediation starts there at 10 a.m. The public is invited to the rally and forum, said teacher Margaret Wells, a member of the union.
For more than five months, the district and teachers have been trying to hash out a three-year contract. The two sides are dickering over teacher compensation and an early retirement incentive.
Carter said the district is offering the salary and compensation increase for the teachers set aside in Rainier's budget, which the school board passed last month. The district had to cut some teachers and programs in order to meet its budget for 2004-05.
"Our proposal is a reflection of our budget," he said. "We do have money set aside for capital improvements, but we have been ignoring our buildings."
Efforts to reach a spokeswoman for the union's negotiation team were unsuccessful, but according to a press release earlier in the year, teachers want the district to contribute more toward insurance premiums for teachers with families.
"The amount that our teachers with families must pay out of their own pocket is intolerable for anyone, but especially for our young teachers. They cannot afford to remain in Rainier if our District cannot make them a better offer," the release said in part.
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