Teacher contract negotiations end after school district's 'best offer'

COEUR d’ALENE — The 10th contract negotiation session between Coeur d’Alene School District officials and the teachers union came to a halt when administration announced its latest offer was its best.

“We’re going to have to digest this,” said Scott Traverse, lead union negotiator and social studies teacher at Woodland Middle School to the district’s negotiating team. “So our suggestion is that we be done for the evening.”

Trina Caudle, acting superintendent and lead negotiator for the district, presented the district’s final offer — a 1.7 percent raise for teachers, increases in the amount the district pays toward teachers’ health insurance, and the addition of two salary “steps” to help retain teachers — after a series of proposals and closed-door caucuses Thursday evening.

Anything higher than that offer, Caudle warned, could take one of the components, like insurance increases, off the table.

“We’re trying to meet your priorities, but even with this package we will need to make some adjustments to our budget,” Caudle said.

Negotiations, which are open to the public, began with the district’s negotiating team proposing a 1.5 percent increase. Before the proposal was countered, with the Coeur d’Alene Education Association negotiators asking for a 3.75 percent pay increase, debate occurred regarding the district’s state funding.

That funding hinges on student attendance and is not known until well after the district sets its budget in June. With that in mind, Traverse asked if stipulations could be made in this year’s contract that would give teachers any additional state funding the district received.

Brian Wallace, director of finance and operations, suggested if such an agreement were to be made, then teachers should agree to lessen their salary increase if state funding came back lower than expected.

“If you’re going to gamble, you have to share some of the risk as well,” he added.

In addition to proposing the 3.75 percent increase, Traverse drew the district team’s attention to years during the recession where teachers did not receive any increases to salary or benefits. That, he said, showcases that teachers are willing to work with the district when times are tough.

“(But) We don’t see this as the recessionary time anymore,” Traverse said. “The state has increased the money.”

The next negotiation meeting is scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m. on June 22.