Sighs were heaved and teeth were gritted as negotiators came back to the teachers of Austin Independent School District No.

Friday, December 03, 1999

Sighs were heaved and teeth were gritted as negotiators came back to the teachers of Austin Independent School District No. 492 with a proposed new contract Thursday night.

Now the teachers must consider the tentative deal, and will cast their votes on Monday and Tuesday. Their reply will be returned to the district by Dec. 15. In order to pass, the proposed contract must receive the approval of two-thirds of the teachers.

Behind closed doors, chief negotiator for the teachers Jeff Ollman and AEA president Cheri Stageberg outlined the latest proposals to the men and women who instruct the children in Austin’s public schools. Once the changes had been spelled out, the doors were opened and the details – and reactions were heard.

The tentative agreement, which was reached between the AEA’s negotiators and the district in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, ends nearly 10 months of talks, with changes including a pay increase, a change in the prioritization of personal and sick days for teachers and changes to early retirement.

Asked how the proposal was received, Ollman said, "Well, we’ll know when the votes come in.

"As we had some reservations as negotiators, the teachers have some reservations," Ollman said.

One thing the teachers may be feeling a bit chagrined to see is what has happened in the early retirement area.

"We lost some early retirement incentives," Ollman said.

In past years, if a teacher was 55 and could achieve the "rule of 90" they could take early retirement – that is, if their age plus their years of service totaled 90, they were qualified. Now, they can’t. In the coming year they must be 56, and the year after, 57.

"We won’t allow that trend to continue," Ollman stressed.

On a more positive side, there is a pay increase included in the schedule for the next two years. Pay would increase 3 percent in the first year and 4 percent in the second. Stageberg said that wasn’t bad.

"Considering the financial position the district is in," Stageberg said, "it’s not bad. The first year is a little below the average, and the second year is a little above, so that works out all right."

The financial position she refers to is an operating deficit, which Darwin Vickers, the district’s LAWCO auditor, has advised the school district to end with great haste.

"I think we’re OK with the salary increases, but I don’t think there’s any great joy in it," agreed Ollman.

Another area the negotiators feel pleased about is the prioritization of sick and personal leave days, Ollman said.

"Something happened this year which hadn’t happened before," Ollman said, explaining that teachers get two personal days to take off in addition to sick leave. A teacher had requested a pre-approved personal day, but had initially been denied it as other teachers were going to workshops that day.

"Personal and sick days will take priority now," he said.

Nevyln kindergarten teacher Lana Eply found both high and low points in the proposals, but felt pleased with the job the negotiators had done to bring back the current agreement.

"I think our negotiating team needs to be applauded. It’s bittersweet," Eply said, agreeing with a friend who used the same phrase. "It’s bittersweet, but they’ve worked very hard to get us where we are now."

Where they are now is ready to make a decision, and the teachers of Austin Independent School district will do so early next week.

Other points of the tentative agreement include:

- Continuing health insurance as-is

- No new teachers will be hired above the existing cap levels

- Increases to "Schedule C" extra-curricular pay and funds, including the extended FFA contract, Key Club, Sentinel, the one-act play, and the mock trial.