Teachers' pay-freeze offer approved
The Whitefish School District Board of
Trustees last week voted to accept a proposal from the Whitefish
Education Association to extend the teacher union’s current
contract without any changes.
Recognizing the budget challenges faced
by the district, the Whitefish teachers offered to pay any
insurance increases and not ask for a raise. The offer was approved
by WEA members in February.
“It is a sacrifice the hard-working
teachers of Whitefish School District are willing to make,”
Whitefish Education Association president Kelly Haverlandt said.
“We all want to do our part to help the district.”
The March 8 school board vote was 5-1
in favor of accepting the WEA offer. Trustee Eric Hosek voted
against accepting the offer.
Teachers who qualify will still be able
to advance on the salary schedule based on their years with the
district and college credits they’ve earned. Nearly half of the
staff, however, does not qualify for such movement and will see no
increase in salary and likely see a reduction in take-home pay due
to insurance premium increases, Haverlandt said.
The 2011-2012 insurance rates will not
be known until mid-May. Many teachers saw a reduction in their
take-home pay this past school year due to a jump in insurance
premiums of more than $200, Haverlandt said.
The 2.5 percent raise in base pay was
not enough to cover the increase, she said.
Whitefish school superintendent Jerry
House said the district is grateful for the generous offer. He
explained that the teachers, administrators, board and support
staff are working together to address budget concerns and to
minimize the impact of reductions on students.