Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Teachers agree to salary freeze

School board expected to approve agreement


By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Local teachers have agreed to a Blaine County School District request to freeze the salary structure for the upcoming school year.

The Blaine County Education Association and the school district issued a joint statement Monday regarding the agreement:

"In recognition of our community's current economic situation, both the Blaine County School District and the Blaine County Education Association have mutually agreed that the best course of action for the 2009-2010 school year is to maintain our current contract and salary schedule. Further, the school district and the teacher association wish to thank our community for their continued support."

A memorandum of understanding between the school district and the education association was expected to be approved Tuesday night by the school district board of trustees.

The education association serves as a bargaining unit for teachers in the school district. Contract negotiations are conducted every two years. Past negotiated increases have averaged about 4 percent annually.

District Superintendent Jim Lewis met with the teaching staffs at each school in the district in April to request the salary freeze in light of an anticipated cut in state funding for the next school year of about $500,000.

Lewis said in April that the salary structure negotiated with the education association is applied to all district employees, including administrators.

"This agreement displays a trust that our teachers' association has with both the community and the school board that represents that community," Lewis said Monday. "It makes me proud to be involved with a school district that supports the community the same way the community supports the educators."

Education Association President Mark Sauvageau could not be reached for comment.

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com




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