Hays teachers, school board move to fact-finding in contract negotiations

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

After failing to come to a contract agreement during federal mediation, the Hays USD 489 school board and Hays NEA have moved on to a fact-finding process.

The compensation package, specifically health insurance is the stumbling block in the negotiations.

“The compensation package is the difficult issue,” Mike Walker, board president, said. “The board had proposed a compensation package addressing both a salary increase and an adjustment to the health benefits package. Hays NEA has stated that they would like to consider each item separately.”

Walker said the board wants to provide a total compensation package to teachers and staff that increases base salaries and addressed the benefit package.

“We hope to reach agreement on the total compensation package soon so that employees will have time review their salary increases and any adjustments to the health benefits package before open-enrollment the following year,” he said.

The district had proposed setting a specific amount it pays toward family plans instead of a percentage. It currently pays about 83 percent. The district proposed continuing to pay 100 percent for single plans.

The district proposed capping the amount the district pays for dependent plans at $1,000. Having a set amount the district pays for dependent insurance rather than a percentage would help the district in setting its annual budget, the board contends. The district proposed the change in the insurance take affect next year.

Kim Schneweis, Hays NEA board president, said in a previous interview with the Hays Post, the teachers don’t want to lock themselves into that plan. Teachers have also been unhappy about the district’s change to Aetna away from the state’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan. She was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

This is the second year in the row the school board and teachers union have come to an impasse during negotiations.

Further attempts were made during mediation to end the impasse, but as that was not a public session, Walker said he did not wish to disclose that information at this time.

“The board hopes to end the impasse and the board and Hays NEA will agree on a total compensation package,” he said.

Walker said he did not know how long the fact-finding process might make.