Teachers, HLCS agree to ‘fair, affordable’ contract

After 11 months of negotiating, the Houghton Lake Education Association and the Houghton Lake Board of Education have reached an agreement on a new teachers’ contract.

Speaking at a special meeting of the school board Monday, Superintendent Kevin Murphy said the agreement is “fair and affordable.”

The two-year contract features a quarter-percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2009.

The increase, however, will be applied toward increasing health insurance costs. The district’s cap on insurance of $1,157 per month will be augmented by $38 per month this year and by $60 per month next year. Insurance costs increased by $79 in 2009-10. Each employee will now contribute $160 per month toward the cost of insurance.

An attendance incentive was folded into the contract.

Teachers who use zero to three sick days will receive $75 per unused sick day at the end of the year. Those who use four to five sick days will receive $40 per unused day.

The maximum number of sick days allowed was reduced to 13. The previous agreement allowed teachers 15 sick days, plus a bonus of 10 that was banked if fewer than 15 were used. With the new language, all current teachers are automatically maxed out at 170 days per career, while new hires must accumulate sick days based on the 13-day limit.

Executive Director of Collaborative Business Services Matt Lewis said the changes may reduce the number of substitute teacher days, while providing teachers protection for catastrophic illnesses.

President Dave Harned expressed concern about abusers of sick time. Murphy said administrators will deal with individual teachers directly.

A retirement program, Retirees as Teachers, was added to the contract language.

Teachers who retire can come back to work part-time for supplemental instruction without receiving additional benefits. They would be allowed to earn a maximum of 33% of their previous salary.

Answering a question from President Dave Harned about the cost of the new contract, Lewis said costs were “discussed extensively” and that the parties looked at the long-term benefit.

“I think both sides were happy with the result,” Lewis said.

Vice-president Tom Dean said a number of issues were raised by both sides, and he thanked the teachers as well as the bargaining team for coming up with something acceptable to both sides.

“I think this is an excellent contract,” Dean said.

Lewis also thanked the bargaining team, which consisted of Dean, Ron Duquette, Tim Scherer, Lewis and Murphy.

“Obviously we were constrained with what we could offer,” Lewis said. He noted that school districts throughout the state could face a $300 per pupil cut next year.

Duquette moved to approved the HLEA contract and the motion carried unanimously.