New contract ratified for teachers

Warren County Education Association president Sheila Gann presented a letter to the Warren County School Board Thursday night formally announcing the WCEA rank and file voted unanimously to ratify the final contract presented earlier this month. Negotiations Committee chairman Mike Holland accepted the letter and the school board voted unanimously to approve it.

The final contract was based on a compromise reached after a session with Nashville-based Peter Cheng of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Cheng was brought in after WCEA officials announced they felt negotiations were at an impasse and requested mediation.

Both sides were pleased with the results and noted they were actually in the process of beginning negotiations on the next contract.

?I feel great,? Holland said. ?I?m just so proud of the Negotiations Committee, the WCEA and the Warren County Board of Education, as well as the county commissioners who supported us as far as funding.?

Gann echoed Holland?s comments.

?I?m absolutely ecstatic,? Gann said. ?I?m pleased all the teachers are thrilled and looking forward to their February paycheck.?

In the letter Gann reported that teachers voted 237-0 to ratify, with six teachers not returning their ballots because they were either absent or on leave during the week of voting. Gann said she wasn?t surprised at the vote.

?I had no doubt,? Gann said. ?The teachers were very supportive and have been standing behind the WCEA and the board in trying to get the school budget passed by the commission, and we?re thankful to the county commission for getting that passed, so that we can really see progress in education in Warren County.?

At issue prior to the mediated meeting were three items, salary schedule, employee supplements and drug testing, with the main issue being the distribution of the $840,000 raise package.

The school board?s initial proposal provided a $2,500 raise for teachers with bachelor?s degrees and $2,000 for master?s level teachers, while teachers with higher level degrees would receive only the 2 percent state raise, a move which was designed to bring lower level salaries more in line with state averages in an effort to improve retention of teachers and attract new teachers.

This proposal met with strong resistance from the WCEA, which felt all teachers should benefit from the package. Mediation resulted in a compromise that was satisfactory for both entities.

The compromise provided a raise of $2,400 for bachelor?s level teachers, $1,900 for master?s level, both of which included the state?s 2 percent raise, while higher level degree teachers received $600 in addition to the state?s 2 percent.