Officials say progress has been made in negotiating a labor contract this week by Falls School Board members and representatives of the teachers union Local 331.
“I wouldn’t say we’re close (to settling a contract) but progress was made,” said John Sandberg, teachers Local 331 president and FHS social studies teacher. “There was some good open and honest discussions.”
The district’s about 70 teachers are working under a 2011-2013 contract that expired June 30.
Monday’s meeting included continued discussions regarding the district’s proposal to increase the number of class periods during a school day from six to seven periods, Sandberg said.
“The district clarified that (a seven-period day) is still part of our proposal and that it be included in any settlement,” Superintendent Nordy Nelson told The Journal Tuesday.
Sandberg said there are pros and cons to the proposal including more electives for students, but an added workload with less preparation time for teachers. He said union leaders will have conversations with other districts that have made a similar transition.
“We want to go talk to some of these schools to find out if (increasing class periods) solves problems they’re looking to fix,” Sandberg said. “We don’t want to leap into it and be in the same place we were before.”
Nelson, who is expected to leave the district when his contract expires June 30, 2014, has been adamant about offering a seven-period day to students.
“It offers more electives for the students,” he said. “It opens up the possibility of a broader curriculum with different offerings the district doesn’t presently carry...Basically, it boils down to opportunities for kids.”
He said some 12th-grade students are satisfying their graduation requirements early with a lack of electives to choose from their senior year. Having one more period is something the board is pushing for; the teachers, Nelson said, want to see what is available to them before they agree to anything.
“It’s a concern for the teachers union on the total number of prep minutes with the possibility of added time to prepare another hour they have to teach,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sandberg told Journal staff both sides also discussed teachers’ salary and benefit packages, but wouldn’t give specific details.
“There is a request for a salary increase,” Nelson said. “That’s always on the table. Whether that will be (decided), I’m not sure.”
District and union leaders also addressed the loss of students – especially at the elementary level.
“We aren’t losing so many kids at the high school, but in the elementary school, we’ve lost a lot,” Sandberg said.
October enrollment figures for all three of the district’s schools showed 67 fewer students than in May. Fifty one of those students are at the elementary level.
Sandberg said the groups are hoping to administer an exit survey to parents who have pulled their child out of the Falls district.
“Is it a Boise issue or is it something we need to fix?” he said referring to the 265 jobs lost by October at the local paper mill. “Our assumption is that it isn’t all Boise related.”
The challenge, he continued, will be getting parents to be honest.
“We need some honest answers,” he said. “We need to find out what is going on.”
Nelson said a survey would give the district insight to what areas are in need of improvement.
“If we need to make changes, we need to find out what areas we need to focus on,” he said.
Fewer students will result in less funding from the state and Sandberg said the reality is cuts will need to be made.
“It won’t just be staff, it’ll be all areas,” he said. “We’ve got some tough decisions coming up this year...At least both sides are looking at what’s best for the district and what’s best for the kids.”
