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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2005 District considers cutting school days By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — With the failure of contract negotiations for classified employees on Tuesday, the Rogue River School District and its two bargaining units are forced into mediation. Late Tuesday afternoon, school board members and Superintendent Charles Hellman met with the district’s classified employees and Oregon Education Association negotiator Jim Bond in the high school’s library. Teachers rallied outside by holding a chicken barbecue as a show of support. The district’s support staff includes teacher and instructional aides, secretaries, janitors and librarians. The district already had one mediation session with teachers Oct. 11, when some minor agreements were reached. Teacher and union representative Joe Burns is hopeful for more movement when mediation resumes at a meeting set for Nov. 28. The main issue is whether the district can shorten the school year — which means cutting teacher salaries and benefits by cutting the number of school days, he said. The district can cut days more easily because school days run roughly an hour longer each day than in other districts. Advertisement "Our (high school) students start at 8:06 a.m. and go until 3:18 p.m.," said Burns. "Other schools start later and end earlier. This high level of "contact time" with the students, Burns said, makes it easy for the board to cut days and remain within state standards, he says. But it takes money out of teachers’ pockets, he adds. "I feel I’m overworked," he said. "I feel the students are overworked. They’re frazzled. If a teacher in Rogue River is going to make less, why do they have to work more than any other teacher in the valley?" Hellman said the main problem from the district’s perspective is a shortage of funding on state and federal levels. The teachers’ proposed cost of living increase of 2.7 percent this year and 2 percent next year, combined with health insurance increases, is straining a budget-busted district. "There simply was not enough (money) to sustain last year’s programs," said Hellman. "The (district) savings accounts are drying up." Modest increases in student enrollment will not help fund an increase in teacher salaries, he said. Burns said the teachers would consider giving up some money in trade for concessions from the board. "Right now they can’t cut days without coming to us and negotiating," said Burns. "The biggest thing (in negotiations) is they want to be able to cut 15 days without opening the contract." The scheduled Nov. 28 mediation session for teachers will include a mediator from the Conciliation Services Division of the State Employment Relations Board. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail District considers cutting school days ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s