By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
With a full room of teachers watching, the Hays USD 489 Board of Education and Hays National Education Association negotiators sparred over contract details at Wednesday night’s meeting, ending with a tentative agreement that will now be brought to the full board and the USD 489 bargaining unit for approval.
While several details were agreed upon during the meeting, including retirement health benefits and sick day accumulation payouts, one sticking point was a a point of content among the two groups – movement on the vertical pay scale – a topic that the HNEA negotiators warned might cause the contract to once again fail when it arrives at the bargaining unit.
“I think you’ll have a better chance of passing if you add a vertical salary increase,” warned Kathy Wagoner, Hays-NEA bargaining unit co-chairwoman.
The subject was not up for discussion during the meeting, but nonetheless dominated a significant portion of of talks.
“I think we are headed in the right direction,” said Superintendent Dean Katt.
In the future he said he believes the board will be in a position to offer those increases, but with state funding in question for next year, now is not the time.
“It’s our intention,” said board member Paul Adams. “Today, it’s not there.”
Money for that increase could come from the district’s contingency fund, the HNEA argued, but if that were the case, the district could once again be put into a position in which layoffs would be necessary.
“We want to make sure we have the money to make payroll,” said board member Lance Bickle said, citing the layoff of 18 employees last year when money ran out at the end of the year. “We are trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Katt also pointed out to the HNEA that concessions have been made to offset the lack of vertical movement, noting two years ago a 2 percent across-the-board raise was given in place of vertical movement.
Work day requirements were also reduced to give a concession for the lack of movement.
Katt told the negotiators during the meeting that despite the recommendation of at least a 10 percent carryover, last year the district only had 4.8 percent carryover and is anticipating a 7.4 percent carryover at the end of this academic year.
Despite the contentious debate, both groups agreed on the measures under debate during the evening.
Both groups agreed on a more simplified payout for sick day accumulation in which new teachers coming into the district could accumulate up to 80 days of payout at $45 per day, with concessions made for teachers with days already vested over the amount being paid for at least the 80 days.
A slight adjustment was also made to health benefit for teachers retiring from the district.
The HNEA will bring the new negotiated agreement to it’s bargaining unit on Jan. 28 after two information sessions next week.
The Board will then have the opportunity to ratify the agreement. They will, however, discuss the contract during executive session at Monday’s Board meeting.
