Carroll still in collective bargaining
Grievance filed
By Jennifer Archibald

Carroll Consolidated School Corporation and Carroll Education Association have been negotiating financial issues since last November.

The settlement will affect the calendar year 2006 only.

The two parties bargained three times on their own before meeting with a mediator in March. In June, a fact-finder hearing was conducted, and the fact finder's report came out in August. The last time the two sides met was Oct. 24, with a post fact-finder mediator. As of Tuesday this week, no settlement has been reached, and no further meetings have been scheduled.

In the meantime, teachers are being paid on the 2005 salary schedule.

Superintendent John Sayers said there is a three-year master contract extending through December 2006, but it was stipulated that negotiations would be reopened for economic issues only for the calendar year 2006.

Items in dispute, for the factfinder's hearing, were: Salary, retirement savings plan, and faculty and guest passes to all corporation athletic events.

According to fact-finder Janet Land's report, the CEA's original proposal called for a 4.5 percent salary increase with a Retirement Savings Plan of .5 percent, or an alternate proposal of a five percent salary increase without a Retirement Savings Plan. The corporation's original proposal included a one percent increase on the salary schedule and nothing toward a Retirement Savings Plan.

The fact-finder recommended a 2.5 percent teacher salary increase for the 2006 calendar year. She did not recommend any retirement plan for 2006, but did recommend a thorough study for future implementation. She said the parties' current early retirement program under the collective agreement terminates Dec. 31, 2006.

Currently, under the Corporation's school board policy, a teacher who works three athletic events may receive a free pass to other athletic events. The fact-finder recommended retaining the current practice and adding a free pass for a guest.

The official position of the CEA is that they accept the factfinder's report. Both sides say they are close to an agreement on the items under dispute.

What is holding up the settlement of the contract is a health insurance dispute that was not sent to fact-finding. Because it is not being resolved, the CEA has filed a grievance with the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board on behalf of six teachers (three married couples).

Donald Shively, who is on the CEA negotiating team, says the dispute involves what the CEA believes is unfair treatment by the corporation.

Shively said since the grievance has been filed, if the issue is not resolved by the parties, it will go to arbitration, and the arbitrator's decision is binding on both sides.

The teacher contract cannot be settled until the disputed health insurance issue is resolved.

Other members of the teachers' negotiating team are Nancy Sabatini, president of the CEA; Jana Conn, and Larry Henning. Their chief spokesperson is Becky Riggs of the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Official spokesperson for the school corporation is Superintendent Sayers. He said one or two school board members, along with the school attorney are also present during bargaining sessions.

Sayers said he expects another meeting with the post fact-finder mediator to be set up soon.

"I'm hopeful that we're very close (to an agreement) and will settle soon," he said.