School Board approves contracts, sets date for budget hearing

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The word is, the contract “fight” this year took only about 20 minutes.

Actually, the negotiations have been ongoing since October.

The Charles City Community School District Board of Education approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Charles City Community Education Association on Monday.

The education association has already ratified the contract, which includes a 2.19 percent wage increase for the teachers — or $153,421 total for the district. Contracts were to be sent out on Tuesday, with a return date of April 16.

“We really appreciate the hard work that was done on both sides,” said Director Josh Mack. “They worked really hard to get us into a position where this was really easy to do this year.”

The agreement includes an increase of $260 on the base wage, plus step increases. The package increase was 2.33 percent, including 3.5 percent health insurance rate increase.

The board approved the contract 4-0, with director Jason Walker abstaining.

The education association presented its initial proposal to the district last month, seeking a 2.3 percent increase in salary and benefits. The district’s initial proposal one week later was the same — a 2.3 percent total package increase.

Charles City Superintendent Mike Fisher said that negotiations after the initial proposals were presented took only about 20 minutes, and that the Charles City contract was one of the first to be completed statewide.

“We approached a new process called ‘interest-based bargaining,’” Fisher said. “It goes away from the conflict bargaining, where you come from two different position and kind of argue. We find common values and visions and find a way that we can move together collectively and positively impact kids.”

CCCEA chief negotiator Tyler Downing said the negotiations began unofficially last fall.

“We tried it. We went on a retreat together. We did some culture-building tactics to get where we are and to build some trust,” he said.

The board also approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement with a 5-0 vote, including a wages increase of $45,476, or 2.35 percent, with the Charles City Community School District Educational Services Association for 2019-20, contingent upon the group’s ratification of the agreement and approval of the list bus driver contracts.

The agreement includes an increase of 25 cents on base wages plus step increases.

The contracts will be valid through the 2021-22 school year — three years instead of the typical one.

“We did propose a three-year contract so we don’t have to go through this process every year,” Downing said.

Fisher explained that salary would be re-opened for negotiations each year, but the language of the rest of the contract is for three years.

“Neither side can compel the other to open the contract,” Fisher said. “If we felt we needed to fix something in the contract, however, we could open it back up by mutual agreement. But for the most part there should be stability in this agreement for the next three years.”

In other action Monday, the board approved the publication of the 2019-20 budget and set a public hearing for the budget for 6:15 p.m. at the Monday, April 8, meeting at the 7th-grade learning studio at the middle school.

The budget includes $10.42514 general fund levy; $0.82033 management fund levy; $0.33 board approved PPEL; and generating the voter-approved $1.34 PPEL levy through property tax of $1.17456. The proposed budget includes no increase in property taxes and no surtax increase. Supplemental State Aid for 2019-20 has been approved by the Iowa Legislature at 2.06 percent.

Also Monday, the board approved an internal technology connection bid from Heartland Business Systems for $255,188.59. The project includes wireless access points, network switches and uninterruptible power supplies throughout the District.

This project will be submitted for e-rate funding, which could mean an 80 percent discount. The total cost of the project is estimated $250,465, but after the discount the cost would be $50,093. The amount after e-rate funding will be paid from the general fund technology budget of $77,500. Any expenses after e-rate and general fund budget will be funded from PPEL funding.

In other business Monday, the board:

— Heard a presentation from Laura Walker, fifth-grade instructor, regarding student leadership.

— Heard a presentation from Dan Caffray, Charles City juvenile liaison officer, regarding Project RISE. Several students in the Project Rise program also presented information about the program.

— Approved the list of 2019 Charles City High School and Carrie Lane graduating seniors.