School contract negotiations begin following two-year deal

It’s contract negotiation time at North Iowa Community School, after school staff and the Board of Directors got a break from negotiations last year following a two-year deal signed in 2018.

The North Iowa Education Association hopes to get a little better deal than the 1.83% settlement reached for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. Jonathan Potter presented the NIEA’s opening proposal to the North Iowa School Board on February 11, as the teachers seek a total package increase between 2.57% to 2.93%.

Potter explained they’re offering two set of numbers because they’re not sure yet how much the district’s health insurance costs will go up next year. The lower number is based on an insurance increase of 2.5%, while the higher number accounts for a 5% increase in insurance costs.

Both proposals call for a 2.74% increase in salaries, a 1.58% increase in supplemental wages, along with 2.63% increases for FICA and IPERS. NIEA wants to increase the base teacher salary by $500 to $34,200, and they’re also asking for $50-$75 increases to the payment lanes that teachers can advance through as they receive additional education, such as a master’s degree.

For the full story, see this week's Buffalo Center Tribune. Subscribe by calling 1-800-558-1244 ext 122 or email Deb at circulation@midamericapub.com or by clicking here.