New London teachers ask for $1,800 increase to base salary

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

New London Community School Superintendent Steve McAllister, school board president Laurie Hempen, and board secretary Jessica Boyer, were joined by members of the New London Education Association to hold a special session to exchange master-contract proposals Tuesday for the 2015-2016 school year.

This session was held simply for an exchange of proposals, and therefore no open discussion regarding proposals was held.

Angie Lipper, at-risk coordinator Clark Elementary and member of the New London Education Association (NLEA), acted as the NLEA?s spokesperson during the meeting and read the 2015-2016 master contract initial proposal.

As part of the contract proposal, the NLEA is asking for an increase of $1,800 to the base salary for 2015-2016. According to Lipper, the NLEA will be working with the state-mandated single salary schedule and negotiate for a 190-day contract.

The current single salary base is $31,277.

Besides a change in salary, the NLEA also proposed a change in the school?s leave of absence policy to include critically ill family members.

?In the case of an employee with an immediate family member with a critical illness, an employee who has used all of their family ill days and both critical illness days may apply for critical illness leave,? Lipper read from the NLEA?s proposed change to the leave of absence policy.

Under this new proposal, an employee would be able to use their accumulated sick days (up to 100 days) to be available to care for a critically sick family member. If this were to be needed, an employee would be asked to provide a doctor?s statement.

According to the proposal read by Lipper, critical illness was interpreted as ?any prolonged hospital stay, cancer treatment, dialysis, hospice care, or any other care approved by the New London Community School superintendent, or his/her designated authority?.

Lipper also touched briefly on the subject of insurance and proposed that the New London Community School District (NLCSD) continue to pay all Transitional Reinsurance Program fees and insurer fees that began Jan. 1, 2014.

On the flip side, McAllister stated the initial proposal from the NLCSD Board of Education. In terms of salary, the NLCSD Board of Education proposed a total salary package increase of zero percent for the 2015-2016 master contract. The offer also does not include aging the salary schedule at the present time.

?Across the board, there is a zero percent increase in the three insurance plans offered by the district, so that?s a good thing,? McAllister said. ?We (NLCSD) are down a little bit in student enrollment...so that means that we are going to have to tighten our belts, get through a year, and see where we are.?

With many questions still surrounding the amount of funding the government will be dealing out to Iowa schools in the upcoming year, McAllister says that one of the New London School Board?s main priorities is being able to maintain operations without having to make cuts in staff positions and school programs.

With both proposals read aloud, the appropriate staff will begin the process of negotiating between both proposals and will announce decisions at a later, undetermined time.

The NLCSD will hold a public hearing and special work session on March 9 at 6 p.m., in the North Campus Board Room to discuss an early start date for the upcoming school year, the 2015-2016 district calendar, and additional facility improvement, among other items.