Home › News › Education News
Collier school district, teachers back at bargaining table
RELATED STORIES
- Collier school superintendent fields questions on teacher pay, staff changes
- Collier teacher salary hearing underway with early protest
Related Links
More Education News
- Collier students and their parents get an education in college acceptance
- Local Christian academy offers homeschoolers option in SW Florida
- Lely High hosts basketball shootout
Tell us about it
- What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
- Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
- Upload photos & videos
- More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.
STORY TOOLS
Share and Enjoy [?]
Two weeks after the end of this school year’s decision on pay increases, the Collier County School District and the teachers’ union are back at the bargaining table.
The district and the Collier County Education Association, which represents 80 percent of the district’s teachers, will negotiate a possible pay increase for the 2008-09 contract year, which begins July 1. Compensation will be the only contract issue under discussion this year in the teacher contract.
Both sides met Monday afternoon to set up a schedule of meetings, but agreed not to meet again until May 12 in the hopes that the state’s budget will be finalized and the school district will have a better idea of where its budget will be.
The Legislature’s session is expected to wrap up Friday.
The discussions come less than two weeks after the Collier County School Board voted to uphold a decision by two state magistrates. They ruled that the School District’s salary offer of a 2 percent step increase and a 1 percent bonus for its employees was all the district could afford this year.
The magistrate met with both sides in January after the district and the union reached an impasse over salary increases in November. Because public sector employees cannot strike in Florida, they must declare an impasse and have a magistrate issue a finding of fact on the dispute.
The School District offered teachers and other contract employees a 1 percent bonus on top of the 2 percent salary increase, which is based on years of experience. The Collier School Board gave the raise to teachers in September.
The bonus was part of a $5.69 million compensation package for teachers. That package included $3.6 million in step increases; $1.8 million for the 1 percent bonus; $175,000 in middle school athletic supplements; $42,000 in increased compensation for class coverage; and $35,000 in Webmaster supplement increases.
District officials told employees they wanted to give more, but cited several reasons for the offer, including that the district returned $4.9 million to the state as a result of the state’s general revenue shortfall.
In addition, the district experienced declining enrollment this year and returned more than $5 million for planned enrollment increases that never materialized in Collier.
In March, the Collier School Board voted unanimously to tap into its reserves to help fund an additional $4 million that the district will return to the state as a result of the budget shortfall.
Both magistrates cited those financial constraints as support for why the district did its due diligence in offering what it did.
Both sides agreed to resume talks May 12, but salary increase proposals will not be brought forth until a meeting on Monday, May 19. That meeting will be held at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Administrative Center, 5775 Osceola Trail.
Comments
This site does not necessarily agree with comments posted below. Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. Break our rules, and we will ban you. No exceptions, no second chances. Read our privacy policy & user agreement.
Negotiations are starting in May of 2008; maybe they will be done before March 2009. I doubt it. Why doesn’t the union ask why the school board has a 2 million dollar budget? I could see how they could easily spend 2 million in legal fees, but that comes out of a different fund. Why do these clowns need so much money? More money goes to the school board than to all of the schools combined to buy supplies. It is waste at the ad center that is limiting how much money is available for raises. Until the state realizes that they need to invest more money into its future, the public school system will continue to suffer. The current government is limiting the quality of our children’s education, while creating a debt that our children will be paying for their entire lives. Bush’s tax cuts saved me over $2000 this year alone. I would have rather paid that extra money to give my children a brighter future. This has gone way off topic. Teachers and school board please reach an agreement before school starts in the fall, so the kids don’t have to go thru another year of teachers complaining and very low moral. School board please put your personal agendas and egos aside and do what is best for the students. Donovan do us all a favor and resign so a replacement can be elected in November. Peace
#1 Posted by DThomas on April 28, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a JOKE!
The onion has NO power.
They need to revise that 80% figure. Teachers are quitting in droves.
#2 Posted by GoodSense on April 28, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
there can be no way it's 80%. I never took part, nor did any of my colleagues.
#3 Posted by NaplesTeacher on April 28, 2008 at 9:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Were the step raises already part of the old contract, or was it something the board just kinda threw in like the 1% bonus (if you can even call 1% of a teacher's salary a bonus)? Aren't step raises handed out at different years of service, meaning not everybody would have received the step raise? It is all a bunch of horse manure. Two things need to happen, well actually many things need to happen, but:
1. This whole joke of a school board needs to be replaced with people who have common sense.
2. The teachers need a new union representative. Whoever this individual is, is letting the school board walk all over him and take it up the bottom.
Also, Dr. Deutsch Bag, I mean Dr. T, needs to go along with the shady individuals he brought here, and continues to bring in.
The School Board also should not be paid anymore than $20k a year and no incentives should be given to them, if they do receive them. And if anybody should receive less pay, or jobs cut, it should be at the top first, as these individuals are not in the classrooms educating the children.
#4 Posted by napleska7 on April 29, 2008 at 12:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good Luck! As of 3 PM May 30th, after 35 years with CCPS I will be RETIRED!
#5 Posted by biomanogt on April 29, 2008 at 6:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GOOD LUCK BIOMAN!
#6 Posted by ww2vet on April 29, 2008 at 7:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GatorHater.......... It is never "over" we are just a year behind! So.........the sad fact is this is not the "give it a rest" time.......it is the get it started time!!!!!!!
That being said, hopefully (ya right) all involved have a little more understanding of the big picture and all parties can work for civil positive outcomes!
However.........when dealiong with annual contracts, it is never over and decided, other then a year at a time and at times ya get a year behind!
#7 Posted by teachtrouble on April 29, 2008 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Teachtrouble needs to go to school to learn a bit more skill in writing don't ya think. Amazing that this is what teaches our kids.
#8 Posted by DinNaples on April 29, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
People who type ya in blogs shouldn't criticize how other people's typing is.....
#9 Posted by mngator on April 29, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Amazing! I have never said I was a teacher! lololol
DinNaples I would guess my written and spoken word has passed a test much more qualified!
A little information concerning blog writting, when one has "no" useful view they "know" anything about they commenting on spelling and grammer!
Now, 4 spelling errors appear in this Blog entry, knock yourself out!
#10 Posted by teachtrouble on April 29, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Teachtrouble for School Board 2010.
www.dooley08.com
#11 Posted by dooley on April 29, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The only power we have is in numbers. Let's get 99% instead of 80%. I'm very tired of Katherine, et. al., writing that in every single article.
#12 Posted by dwyerj1 on April 29, 2008 at 6:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
HI 5, BIO!
#13 Posted by NaplesTeacher on April 29, 2008 at 6:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let us all remember that the School Board played an important part in this fiasco...
More a million dollars of taxpayers money to mend their wounded egos with their past relationship with Baker.
I hope they will have to pay for their mistakes since it will not be covered by the tax payers now during the Ray Baker litigation. I hope they are socked with outrageous attorney bills... enough to cause them to think before they act !
UNfortunately, the taxpayers have paid and will pay again for our arrogant elected officials actions.
Maybe this a 'natural' version of checks and balances in politics... you screw up, you are sued, you pay.
#14 Posted by wordtothewise on April 29, 2008 at 7:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wordtothewise. please. they screw up WE pay. where have you been?
#15 Posted by mimibuck on April 30, 2008 at 8:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Post your comment
(Requires free registration.)