Whitefish teacher contract finally ratified

After 16 months of negotiations, the Whitefish Education Association has a contract for the current school year.

The contract for Whitefish teachers includes a 1.5 percent increase in base pay and a $10,000 one-time retirement incentive.

The contract, ratified by the union members Tuesday and the school board Wednesday, expires June 30.

Base pay will be $31,536 and starting teachers will make $33,870 with the increase figured in.

Although no cap was officially set on how many teachers may take the retirement incentive, board chairwoman Pat Jarvi said the district anticipates funding for six eligible staffers. Eligibility is based on factors such as salary, years of service, age and full-time status.  

Negotiations for the 2012-13 contract began in October 2011 and included two mediation sessions and one proposed contract that was ratified in December 2012 by the board but rejected by union members.

The rejected contract included a 1 percent pay raise and a one-time $850 bonus.

The bonus was a point of contention for the union because it was not included in the base pay.

“In order for staff to meet monthly bills and eventually plan for retirement, WEA feels any money offered should go on our base pay,” association president Gayle Graf said in a recent email to the Daily Inter Lake.

At the time, the board had contended that the one-time bonus was not included in the base pay because of uncertainty over next year’s operating budget.

Teachers’ contracts had reverted to the 2010-11 contract which included a pay freeze, but teachers continued to benefit from regularly scheduled steps and lanes, moving up in the pay scale.

Graf said the Whitefish Education Association would notify the board within the next few days of its intent to bargain for the 2013-14 contract.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.