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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 7, 2006 Strike possible in Rogue River By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Teachers here are preparing to strike, saying negotiations with the school board for a new contract for 2005-07 have failed. "I sure wish we weren’t going here," said negotiations chairman Joe Burns, a teacher at Rogue River High School. "We have really tried." The board officially declared negotiations at an impasse last week, said member Dick Handbury. All dialogue between the two parties now is restricted to school district attorney Bruce Zagar and teachers union representativeSusan Crumpton of the Oregon Education Association, Handbury said. Handbury said he hopes the matter will be resolved before a strike is called. Advertisement "I flat won’t give up on this," Handbury said. "Nobody wants a strike." Burns said several teachers already conducted informal picket lines in front of Rogue River schools last week. They will continue their demonstrations this week, he said. The board’s two-year contract proposal — a 1 percent pay boost with step increases based on length of service, completion of advanced training and other benchmarks — was rejected by the teachers after a three-hour negotiating session Jan. 30. The board’s contract would allow it to cut up to three class days without teacher approval, Handbury said. Cutting one day of class saves the district roughly $30,000, Handbury said. It is the only way the district can save money without cutting staff or programs, he said. In the teachers’ previous contract, the district had to negotiate with the teachers to cut 10 days from the 2004-2005 school year. This type of negotiation is something the board is seeking to avoid, Handbury said. Burns said the teachers are not looking for a lot of money. "But this carte blanche on day cuts could go up to 15 days — according to what they have in their contract," Burns said. Educators and students would have no power if the board decided it wanted to save even more money, he said. Burns claimed the district’s ending fund balance has been over $1 million for the last three years. "It’s primarily because the board has managed their money well," said Burns. "But it is also because they are only looking at day cuts as a way to survive." Handbury said there has been as much as $200,000 left in the budget at the end of some fiscal years. Teachers were upset the money was not put back into their salaries, he said. But Handbury said continuing cuts from state and federal funding are colliding with ongoing expenses for the district’s aging buildings and declining enrollment. "If we lose 10 kids, that’s over $50,000," said Handbury. "We have about $30,000 in roof repairs to do at the middle school." The board’s offer also included a 1 percent increase with similarly negotiated steps for the second year. The teachers’ union counter-offer proposes a 2 percent raise plus steps the first year, and the equivalent of a 1 percent and step increases for the second year. The two sides also disagree over insurance-premium coverage. Both sides have one week to submit final offers to the state Employment Relations Board. If after a mandatory monthlong "cooling off" period no compromise is reached, the union is free to strike. Another session with a state mediator is scheduled Feb. 22. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement