The Elk River Education Association (EREA) teacher members voted on Thursday, April 11, and approved the 2023-25 tentative agreement reached with ISD 728 on March 12.
The ISD 728 School Board will next take up a vote at its April 22 meeting.
EREA President Lisa Olson reports that together with the district’s team, 17 negotiation sessions were held between May 2023 and March 2024.
The Star News reported last month the tentative pact calls for a 6% increase to the salary schedule in Year 1 of the contract, and a 3% increase in Year 2 of the contract.
The EREA had proposed a settlement offer in February that would have amounted to 15.779% increase, or $17 million increase, to the contract over a two-year period.
The district countered that it was not sustainable and would require significant reductions of staff, negatively impacting student learning and safety. District 728’s team came forward with a proposal on March 5 for a total increase of 10.65%, or $11.3 million, over the full term of the contract.
The EREA came back with a less costly proposal that would have cost an additional 13.45%, or $14.3 million on March 5, according a March 15 Star News report.
Through a series of compromises and other previously reached agreements, the two sides came to a settlement agreement late on Tuesday, March 12, the Star News reported.
Superintendent Dan Bittman said in a press release upon completion of the tentative agreement: “We have worked collaboratively and transparently, guided by principles of honesty and integrity outlined in our negotiation framework. Our aim has been to reach an agreement that respects our budget constraints while demonstrating support and appreciation for the hard work of all our staff members across the district, especially during these challenging times.”
EREA negotiators included teachers Sarah Klocker, Cory Puppe, Russ Gnan, Shawn Scheel, Teresa Sizen, Shannon Gatzow, and Lisa Olson.
“Our hard-working negotiators were a part of more than seventy meetings including sessions with the district, planning sessions, and meetings held with and for our teacher members,” Olson said. “.Their work was done in addition to their regular teaching roles, coaching roles, and family and community obligations. Our negotiators represented the numerous needs of our members and students because our teachers’ working conditions are our students’ learning conditions. We were able to tackle important issues through honest and respectful conversations with the district’s team, and even though we were unable to win contract language on some important topics, one being class size limits, we will be back at the table with the expiration of the new contract which is July 1, 2025.”
More about EREA
The Elk River Education Association is an education labor union that represents more than 950 members in the 20 ISD 728 schools/sites. Members include or represent general education, special education, early childhood, and school readiness teachers, licensed school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors, occupational therapists, physical therapists, lead special education teachers and evaluators, media specialists, speech clinicians, curriculum development and digital learning specialists, data and intervention specialists, ADSIS, Title 1, English Learner, Adult Basic Educators, and online teachers who serve and educate students, staff, and community members in the communities of Zimmerman, Elk River, Otsego, and Rogers.
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