Negotiations

Negotiations

Each year the districts meets with representatives of the Teacher's Association and Support Staff Association to negotiate contract terms for the following year.  We began that process last night with the teachers.  We have a very positive relationship with our teaching staff and their representatives.  Negotiations is not always a comfortable time when talking about salary and benefits for staff, but it is something we have to do.  There were a lot of changes enacted last year by the legislature which does make the process look a little different, but it doesn't mean we value our teachers any less.  Teaching is the most rewarding thing a person can do, but it's also one of the most challenging.  Our teachers work hard and step up when needed to do everything they can for our students.  Off of my soapbox and back to negotiations. 

One of my first steps in negotiations is to begin looking at the district's financial situation, how our teacher salaries compare to other districts similar in size and also in our area, and also how our benefits compare.  The district's financial condition is looking okay right now, but we know if state funding continues to be low and enrollment declines further, that could change very rapidly.  We compare teacher salaries because we have to compete with other districts for the teachers that are out there.  In the past, it was not uncommon to have 100 applicants for an elementary teaching position and 15-30 for most high school positions.  Today, if we get 10 to 20 applicants for elementary we feel fortunate and some high school positions we hope to find a single candidate.  As I talk to other superintendents in the area and across the state, this is a common problem for everyone.  The number of candidates has fallen drastically and can be traced back to the colleges who tell us they have less students in education and less entering the education field then ever before.  Like most industries in Iowa, we are facing a worker (teacher) shortage.  

In order to attract the best and brightest, we must be competitive or applicants may choose another district.  The first chart below compares our average salary with those districts similar in size.  

Chart comparing average salary based on enrollment size

Our teachers are slightly below average compared to other schools based on enrollment.  We are also slightly above the average when it comes to experience of the staff.  

The next chart compares us to schools in our AEA.  It basically looks at 7 larger and 7 smaller in enrollment compared to us.  Because of the makeup of our AEA, the enrollment variance is much greater.  We are farther below the average in this case, but our school enrollment is also considerably below the average.  On this chart, I tend to look at individual schools to see how we compare as these are the schools we compete with for teachers in this area. 

Chart comparing average salary based on enrollment in our AEA

This final chart looks at average salaries compared to the Northeast Iowa Conference.  We are the smallest district in the conference based on enrollment, but we still compete with all of these schools for staff members.  In this chart we are well below the average, but higher than at least one school (Decorah) in total compensation.  

Chart comparing average salary in the Northeast Iowa Conference

In addition to this data, we compare benefits, salary schedules, financial conditions of the districts, and other relevant data.  

Our staff members are important to us and we look at what we can do for current staff members and also what we do to make this an attractive place for applicants to choose.  Of course, the board is always aware of its duty as overseer of the district's budget as it goes through this process.  In some ways, having the overwhelming majority of our funding based on an automatic formula is a good thing.  It gives us a solid number that we have to meet each year when going through this process.  If we go over that number, we have to make it up somewhere else. 

Look for more information in the newspaper on this important issue.