School district proposes teacher pay cuts
By The Bakersfield Californian
Panama-Buena Vista Union School District officials have given its teachers a "last, best and final offer" that includes pay cuts in trying to strike a contract deal through a mediator.
The offer includes a $1.3 million cut to salaries and benefits packages, according to the Panama-Buena Vista Teachers Association. Teachers late last year overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal with the district that included a rare and controversial medical benefits plan, among other changes.
The district hoped to save $1.6 million under that Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan, or MERP, which would deny coverage to employees who could get insurance from their spouse's employer.
Following the teachers' contract vote -- which 77 percent of teachers rejected -- the union surveyed its educators to figure out what needed to be changed to their negotiated contract to gain their support before heading back to the table with the district. The surveys found that MERP and class sizes were concerns for teachers, according to the union.
Classified staff in the district approved MERP. But the plan received backlash throughout town.
The county of Kern, for example, said the school's plan was a financial liability because it shifted costs. Officials changed county benefit policies to say that Panama employees would not be eligible for county medical plans if they were denied coverage by the school district.
Teacher and district representatives last met Jan. 31. Teachers have a tentative deadline of next week to decide on the offer.
"The district made it clear it intended to declare an impasse if we did not agree to their offer so that they could move to impose the contract on us by the end of the year," according to the teachers union website. Teachers union representatives could not be reached for comment.
If a deal isn't cut, the sides will go into fact-finding. That's what happened four years ago, district officials said, before an agreement was struck.
If teachers wait until June to make a decision, the website said, the district will impose a 2.5 percent salary cut this school year, equivalent to $1,700 for the average teacher. The settlement offer would impose seven furlough days next school year and continue with the reduced benefits.
Teachers and district officials have said they want a settlement sooner than later. The last contract expired July 1.
-- Jorge Barrientos, Californian staff
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