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Teacher talks focus on salaries, benefits
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · May 05, 2016
The West Branch Board of Education and West Branch Education Association met last week to begin negotiations on salary and benefit increases for the second of a two-year contract.
A second round of negotiations is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hoover Elementary in the superintendent’s office.
School board representatives, WBEA President Mary Buol and WBEA Vice President Jan O’Neil met April 26 in the Hoover Elementary Library with Iowa State Education Assoc. East Central Uniserv Director Jane Elerding.
The meeting began in open session with Board President Mike Colbert as the sole board member with board member Mike Owen arriving a few minutes later.
Elerding was talking about the information she brought to the meeting when Owen interrupted.
“Excuse me,” Owen said. “Kind of a point of order question and I apologize I’m late ... Is this an open session?”
Superintendent Kevin Hatfield said he consulted with school attorney Joe Holland prior to the meeting about whether to meet in open or closed session.
“Yes. It is open for us now,” Hatfield said. “I talked with Joe and we said that we should just put this out to ... on our first come-together.”
Salary and benefit increases for the second year of the current contract were left unfinished last year, with both sides agreeing that this year’s increase would be determined by the average of the first 50 kindergarten-through-12th-grade union contract agreements passed in Iowa school districts.
The teachers brought a list from the ISEA with 51 contracts on it; the school board brought a list produced by the Iowa Association of School Boards with 50 contracts on it.
Owen said that “it seems to me it’s like a negotiating session.”
“That’s my gut feeling,” he said. “So it seems to me it ought to be in executive session.”
Hatfield said he posted the meeting as an “intent to bargain” between the two groups. Owen said the negotiations could still move into closed session.
“We can do all that legally?” Colbert asked.
“Absolutely,” Owen responded.
“I do not look good in an orange jumpsuit,” Colbert joked, prompting some laughter from the group.
At the time Colbert closed the meeting, this reporter was required to leave.
Last year, the WBEA received about 3.7 percent, or $159,000, in additional salary and benefits, increasing the total salary and benefits to $4.45 million for 2015-16.
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