By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Citing salary and benefits, the USD 489 bargaining unit has voted against the contract that was negotiated between the USD 489 Board of Education negotiating team and the Hays National Education Association bargaining committee.
Out of the 71 percent of the bargaining unit who voted, 89 percent voted no, according to Kim Schneweis, HNEA Bargaining Committee co-chairwoman.
“The general feeling was that there were a lot of take-aways and really nothing offered in return for that,” she said.
“I’m not surprised it failed,” Schneweis said after hearing negative feedback from the unit after three presentations were given to explain the negotiated contract.
Following the vote, members were given an opportunity to provide feedback.
That feedback indicated salary and benefits were the biggest areas of concern.
The negotiated contract offered no vertical movement in salary, lowered the number of sick days that could be accumulated and would accelerate the phase-out of early retirement benefits.
The board suggested making those changes to stabilize the district’s budget, lowering benefit costs that would later be used to give raises.
“We’re trying to free up dollars, and most of what we have talked about unfortunately doesn’t free enough immediately,” said Sarah Rankin, board member, during the negotiations in August.
“These proposals did reduce and change benefits, but it didn’t make any meaningful changes in salary,” Schneweis said.
Despite the unit’s concerns, data suggests Hays teachers are doing substantially better than area counterparts.
According to the Kansas Department of Education’s April 3 report, Hays has a contracted average salary of $47,527, putting Hays in the top 16 percent of the state and near the Kansas average of $47,550.
With benefits and supplemental pay included, Hays teacher salary averages are around the top 3 percent in Kansas, with an average total contracted salary of $58,791 — over the state average of $54,907. That number puts the Hays average ninth in Kansas of total teacher salaries.
When compared to schools in towns similar in size – Pittsburg, Emporia, Derby, Newton and Liberal – Hays has the top average salary.
Schneweis is not sure, at this time, what would drive the bargaining unit to pass the contract, but is hopeful common ground can be found in future meetings between the HNEA and the board.
“The new proposed contract has a lot of changes that are detrimental to them, but nothing that is beneficial to them,” Schneweis said. “Many of them are better off on the contract they are on.”
If the two groups cannot come to an agreement after future meetings, the negotiations will move to mediation.