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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > September > 02 > Entry
Huber settlement details
I think it’s kind of silly that the union and board in Huber Heights are refusing to officially give details of the settlement agreement that ended the strike and that teachers approved Thursday. I mean, the union gave 400 members the details of the deal. How can you expect to keep something quiet once you’ve told 400 people?
I’ve gotten lots of questions about the deal. Readers, especially those in Huber Heights, very much want to see how the sides settled and make up their minds whether this was a good deal for both sides — and for the community.
But since the people in charge are mum, it will fuel whispers and rumors. I’ve heard some that I feel pretty confident are probably true, but we’ve not nailed them down enough to get them in the paper. So I’ll caution you that this information comes not from a primary source but second-hand. Here’s what I’ve been told:
—It’s a three-year deal instead of two. This is key, as you’ll see in a moment.
—The teachers get a 3.5 percent raise the first and second years, then 3 percent the third year. Solid raises for three years is a win for teachers.
—The teachers keep their health co-pays the same the first year, but the co-pays increase for the last two years of the deal. This is the key to the deal for the board. A greater employee contribution for health care by employees cuts the board’s costs enough to make the deal work. Giving up one year of these cuts to get two apparently made the deal work for the board.
—Contract wording changes apparently satisfied the teachers on the side issues. I didn’t get any details on how they resolved the issues of outsourcing, class size, release time and zero tolerance. I was just told contract language was changed.
So that’s what I’ve been told. If you’ve heard something different, please post a comment and let us know what you’ve heard.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Schools and Politics
Comments
By Scubado
September 3, 2006 12:37 PM | Link to this
I hope the public understands and is forgiving when no one is getting 3 percent and 3 ½ percent raises and everyone is paying more for healthcare. I know teachers do not like to hear that they get summers off, all weekends and holidays working close to 1500 hours per year which when extrapolated out to what most people work (2080+) a $55,000/yr dollar job for a seasoned teacher is about the same as a $78,000 year job when figured on a dollar-per-hour rate compared to a year round job. Not to mention the other benefits and retirement that are known only in the public sector these days. I know they also do work on their own time, but so do many other professional positions. I respect all (well maybe most) teachers and belief they have one of the most important and difficult jobs. But as someone who has spent 20 years in public service, if you wanted to make a lot of money, you chose the wrong profession. Let’s just hope the citizens remember how important the job you do when November comes and you just got a contract that most voting for the levy can only dream of. (If my math and grammar are off a bit, I went to public schools)By Thespis
September 3, 2006 10:59 AM | Link to this
Scott is right, making the details the settlement the subject of hearsay and rumor is the most absurd strategy employed by the Huber Heights Superintendent and Board. The delay in the resolving the matter lies with Superintendent Kirby and the Board. The teachers voted and returned to work. The board was out of town. Obviously the outcome was not very important to some of the board members. The teachers won. The teachers should have won. By today’s standards, Huber Heights schools are doing well. Kirby and his board forced a strike because they are inept. They lacked the essential skills to problem solve, and bring the sides together. Kirby’s incompetence didn’t start with this strike, and it didn’t end there either. Watch his actions in the days ahead.By HHT
September 2, 2006 8:43 PM | Link to this
The Dayton Daily News didn’t tell the whole story so why would anyone in any community understand the issues of the Huber strike? It wasn’t about the money it was about issues the adminstration refused to discuss. It was bad negoitating on the part of the adminstration and the support staff and teachers stood up for what was right! By the way it was 500 staff members who stood STRONG through four days of striking. Stop wining and wait until Thursday to find out the details for once the adminstration is following the rules!By Mary
September 2, 2006 1:15 PM | Link to this
So the real education issue for the children (class size) was probably used as a decoy from the real issues - more money for teachers. What’s new? If the teachers keep getting higher and higher salaries, how can the community afford more teachers to keep class sizes lower? Does anyone else understand that relationship, or am I an analytical genius? As far as revealing details to the public, that is an ongoing issue. If you keep the public in the dark and generally naive, you can get away with manipulating the public with slogans like “for the children” while the adults scarf up more pay and benefits. Just last week, Senator Grasso? from Iowa made the public’s right to know public information at the federal level an issue as well. Sometimes, I believe our government entities are going the way of other corrupt countries. If the public does not engage soon and demand integrity in our government, we might as well move to Iraq,etc.By gth7
September 2, 2006 12:52 PM | Link to this
Was it worth it to the board to provoke a strike, so they could give the teachers a raise anyway? Ridiculous that it got to this point. Good for the teachers for sticking together.