Schools, teachers ready to start talks

COEUR d'ALENE - Collective bargaining between the Coeur d'Alene School District and the local teachers union will take place Wednesday, and for the first time, it will not occur behind closed doors.

A new state law, part of Idaho schools chief Tom Luna's Students Come First education reform package, requires that all school district labor negotiations be conducted in public meetings.

The 9 a.m. meeting will be held at the district administration office, 311 N. 10th St.

The new legislation also limits labor talks to salaries and benefits, taking issues that were previously negotiated and incorporated into the master contract off the table.

"It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out," said board chair Edie Brooks. The benefits that remain negotiable under the new law are employee insurance, sick time and leave time.

Items that will no longer be part of contract negotiations include class sizes, grievance procedures and teacher training and development plans.

Coeur d'Alene School District administrators say that when making decisions regarding what are now non-contractual items, they will continue to consult with "all parties involved and affected."

"Our teachers and staff are the backbone of this district, and we will continue to work together to problem solve and create the best learning environment for our students," said Superintendent Hazel Bauman.

Salary and benefit decisions made during negotiations will likely continue, as they have in past years, to apply to all school district employees regardless of union affiliation.

There are currently 1,280 employees working for the school district.

"The Coeur d'Alene School District has a history of treating all classifications of employees equally and I hope to continue that tradition," Bauman said.

Salaries comprise $35.8 million of the school district's $55.2 million general fund operating budget for this school year. Another $12.8 million pays for benefits.

The draft budget for the next school year is not expected to be completed until late May or early June.

Funding for Idaho's public schools was reduced by $47 million during the last legislative session.

For the Coeur d'Alene School District, the reduction means $1.6 million less from the state for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Districts throughout Idaho are awaiting guidance from the State Department of Education before planning their budgets for next year.

Superintendent Luna and his staff are visiting Idaho's regions this week and next week on their annual post-legislative tour.

This year's meeting with school district leaders and trustees is focused on how districts can best put the new education reform policies, processes and procedures in place.