Edina teachers have no contract

Edina teachers and school district negotiators will head back to the bargaining table after union members rejected a tentative 2009-11 contract settlement in a lopsided vote last week.

The district's inability to settle a teachers contract by the state's Jan. 15 deadline will cost it $230,000 in a state penalty -- unusual for Edina, which union president Van Anderson said traditionally has settled on time.

"It's pretty unprecedented," he said. "I think a similar situation has not occurred for a long time."

As of Saturday, Edina was among 28 Minnesota school districts yet to settle contracts.

More than 60 percent of the district's approximately 600 teachers voted against the proposed settlement, which included a one-half percent raise in the contract's first year and 1.5 percent in the second year. District officials say that over two years, total teacher compensation, including health insurance benefits, would have increased almost 6 percent.

The "no" vote followed almost 30 bargaining sessions, including several meetings with state mediators. Tentative agreements were reached twice, with teachers rejecting a previous proposal in October. Anderson said teachers generally feel not enough money was put on the table and that they are working harder but have less control and influence on decisions that affect their work. He said teachers would like the district to tap its fund balance to improve teacher pay.

School board Chairman Randy Meyer said he was "surprised" at the union's rejection of the tentative agreement. "We had worked hard on this," he said. "We thought it was a fair and equitable proposal."

Meyer pointed out that the district cut $1.6 million and 35 positions out of the 2009-10 budget. The district's offer compared well to settlements in nearby districts, he said.

Meyer said school board members are reluctant to draw from the district's reserve fund. That pool of money, which amounted to $7.1 million at the start of this school year, is used for cash-flow purposes and as a buffer against state funding cuts, he said -- not to fund permanent expenses like teacher raises.

"We believe the worst is yet to come for education. Funding from the state has been flat," Meyer said. "We need those dollars to operate."

Anderson said the two sides have talked by phone, but no further negotiating sessions have been scheduled. Both Anderson and Meyer said they hope to get back to bargaining soon.

Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380