Eudora teachers union pushing for new contract with higher salaries

The Eudora teachers union was still pushing for higher salaries this week after six rounds of negotiation meetings with school officials that started over the summer.

The negotiations team of teachers, along with School Board members Mark Chrislip and Eric Votaw, and Superintendent Stu Moeckel, are making progress toward better understanding both sides with each meeting, Moeckel said Thursday.

This process happens every year, but is taking longer this time around.

In the most recent negotiations session, the union asked for $44,040 as the base salary, an increase of $2,540. The last contract had $41,500 as the base salary.

In a negotiating document summary, the union argued that De Soto has a new base salary of $47,000, Olathe is at $46,000 and Spring Hill is at $47,000.

“Competitiveness with neighboring districts is crucial to recruitment and retention during a national teacher shortage,” the document provided by the union said.

The district then offered to bring the base salary to $43,200, an increase of $1,700 to the base salary.

Rebecca Killen, a spokesperson for the Eudora NEA team and past president, said everybody wants the same transparency while trying to simplify the complications of school budgets and public education funding in Kansas.

Negotiating can happen in a variety of ways, and Killen said they are trying to trust the process.

Trying to get everyone on the same understanding of the numbers that the district is working with has drawn out the process a little more, Killen said.

The team is hopeful this process will get to a resolution that works for everybody, Killen said Wednesday.

“We want to still be a whole community at the end, and we understand the factors at play,” she said.

Certified teachers operate through a continuing contract, meaning their contract from last year is still being used until any changes are decided.

The two big things the team has worked toward are understanding of the funding and being competitive with other schools.

The negotiations team chair is Mallory Raugewitz-Blick. Angie Brown is the Eudora NEA president, with Jack Low and Lisa Moffitt also participating in negotiations this year. The Eudora Times tried to speak to other members of the team but was referred to Killen for comment on their behalf.

“We, you know, obviously we all want to be done and to have something we’ve agreed on, but it also has to be right,” Killen said. “And I think that’s something this year that’s been really noticeable on our side is that, you know, Mallory’s team has really worked hard to make sure they’re listening to the people that we represent.”

Eudora NEA has done a lot of work to sort out what new revenues have come to the district, Killen said. They have also tried to understand other area districts, she said.

“It’s really important that we are competitive with the salaries in the nearby area,” she said.

When teachers have less competitive salaries next to area schools, it affects them when they are working alongside new people every year or with teachers with less experience who need more help from their counterparts, she said.

“[Parents] want to be confident that these people who are meeting their child’s needs every day are also having their needs met in their work environment,” she said.

Killen said the team had a big turning point in the last couple of weeks when they started to feel like the group was all talking about the same thing. A new chunk of money was advocated to go toward teachers salaries, but Killen said it seemed like the district planned to save it instead.

“It was just clear that we’re in two different places, and, like I said, that’s how this process works,” Killen said. “Let’s try and figure out why we can’t get on the same page, and how we can move forward.”

The team wants people to understand that they are not asking for something unreasonable, she said. They have worked to come up with numbers and information and have helped to find solutions to be part of the answer, Killen said.

Moeckel said the district is committed to the process, and both sides have demonstrated a willingness to collaborate and find solutions.

“The board has always taken the approach of trying to give the teachers as much as we possibly can, as well as all staff, while also remaining both financially adequate and be able to continue to provide resources for our schools ongoing and to make sure that we utilize the community’s tax dollars in the best way possible while also supporting all of our employees with raises that we know that they certainly are due and interested in,” he said.

Megan Bricks, secretary for Olathe NEA, spoke to the School Board during public comment at Thursday night’s regular School Board meeting. Bricks has watched Eudora’s negotiations and came to support the community and educators who deserve competitive salaries with neighboring districts, she said.

“When an educator feels valued by their building in their school district, they wake up each morning with excitement to start their day and see the smiles on their students’ faces. When an educator feels a lack of support, educators feel a heavier weight upon their shoulders as they enter the building,” she said.

Bricks said educators are advocating and working together to become educated on the process by showing up, asking questions and presenting possible options to find money to increase their offers.

“If one of your values is retaining your staff members, you must think about educator retention from all angles. We must understand that inflation is impacting our educators as their salary has not been adjusted,” she said.

Board member Claire Harding said Friday morning that, although she doesn’t serve on the negotiations team, input from teachers is beneficial for the board.

“I welcomed the comment that we heard last [Thursday] night,” Harding said. “I think that Megan Bricks – she was well spoken and she had words to share that were valuable and beneficial to the board.”

Harding is optimistic that the process is moving in a positive direction even though it’s been long.

“I just want to say I support our teachers, and I am hopeful for a positive resolution,” she said,

On Friday morning, Chrislip said all he can say is the process is still moving forward, and they hope to have a resolution soon.

Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]