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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
Saturday, September 2, 2006
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.
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