Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Contract

Hello MLEA Members,

This past Tuesday, July 15th, we had our final round of negotiations with the school district, and we've finished up the proposed contract for the next three years. It was a great discussion about how to improve what is already a very good document, and all of us on the Bargaining Team would like to thank Dr. Veltri and the administrative staff for the dialogue.

I'll be posting more details about the new contract on the website in the coming weeks, and at the staff breakfast on August 27th we'll vote on ratifying.

As the lead negotiator I'd like to give special thanks to Cheryl Spilker for her calm perspective, Sharon Smith for her great ideas, and Melanie Kilgore for her energy and thoughtfulness. A first-time team member was Sheila Overman from Hallett, and her eloquence in speaking about special ed issues really helped to move the conversation forward. Tim Martin, Tina Evans, and Vikki Hernvall did a great job representing the high school. Thanks as well to Terry King for keeping me honest and Sam Peterson for running the numbers like a pro, as well as Wendy Stewart offering her presidential perspective.

A big "Thank you!" also goes out to Carol Tyson, an ex-officio member of the team who was always there to lend an ear when we needed to bounce ideas off of someone.

Should you have any questions about the process please feel free to contact the Bargaining Team member from your building, or your local MLEA Exec Board member.

No comments: