After months of negotiations between the Santa Rosa County School District and the Santa Rosa Professional Educators teacher’s union both sides were able to agree on the language of a new master contract, however they were unable to come to terms on how much of a raise teachers should receive.
“We feel like the district has the ability to pay a higher increase to the employees, they just don’t have the willingness,” said Rhonda Chavers, the SRPE President. “We feel like it is in the public’s interest to keep us competitive with our neighboring counties, unfortunately the leadership does not follow suit.”
Chavers said the SRPE is seeking a 3.7 percent increase, while the school district is only offering a 2.2 percent increase for SRPE teachers.
Following Tuesday’s negotiations, the school boards declared the negotiations at an impasse after 31 meetings. Chavers said Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick sent a letter to herself and the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission declaring impasse.
“We were able to settle the language issue, so now we are just taking it to a magistrate’s hearing on September 2nd and 3rd,” Chavers said.
After being presented with the information on both sides, the magistrate will have a certain amount of time to make a ruling, which will then be presented before the school board who will then make the final decision.
In an email, Steve Ratliff, the chief negotiator for the school district, says the recent outcome will push the process back.
“This would push the time-table into the Thanksgiving/Christmas season for settlement and with the time off for the holidays, the retro-active payment could very well be into 2016,” Ratliff said. “In addition, the 2015 – 2016 negotiations could not start until the 2014 – 2015 contract is settled, therefore delaying the payment of the raise for this year also. My personal feelings are that the teachers and (education support professionals) deserve their retroactive pay as soon as possible.”
Chavers said there is a misconception from the public stating teachers are working without a contract, especially with the first day back to school for teachers occurring on Monday.
“We are still working under that last ratified contract,” she said. “Even though it says the date is for three years, the one we go by or is in place is that last ratified contract in which the employees accept along with the school board’s agreement to accept it. Those are the rules and working conditions that we are garnered under.”
Chavers said the previous contract expired in August of 2014.
SRPE negotiators have several reasons to believe the school district is withholding funding from the teachers, including the school district’s improving financial condition ratio.
“They always under project that financial condition ratio,” she said. “ In (Assistant Superintendent) Susan McCole’s budget presentation at the last school board meeting, it’s up to over eight percent. They are double the (state) recommendation.”
While a ratio of 3.0 is considered a financially healthy status by state standards, Ratliff believes there is a misconception of the school district’s handing of the ratio.
“(SRPE) feels that non-reoccurring funds should be used for raises,” Ratliff said. “They do not consider that we could have many years with no non-reoccurring funds, they did not offer a solution for that event. In addition, they feel that the school board should not worry about fiscal responsibility if the financial condition ratio is at the prescribed minimum of 3 percent. The board’s desire is to slowly increase the financial condition ratio above the 3 percent minimum, so that they have a large enough reserve to cushion financial down-turns, catastrophic storm damage costs and other such unexpected costs.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SRPE, SRC School District at impasse over new contract