By TARA HETTINGER
Greater Clark County Schools’ teachers continue to work without a contract after they voted down the administration’s one-year offer last week.
That offer included a 0.75 percent raise and 75 more minutes of planning time a week among other items, according to Nick Wiese, president of the teachers association.
Last year’s contact, which ended in June, included a 2 percent raise, he added.
Wiese said he couldn’t say how many teachers voted against the proposed contract, but did say a majority voted no. He said he felt their issues were the pay increase not following inflation and on the wording dealing with the planning time being too broad to make it so teachers might have to use it all at the beginning or end of the day. He said he will work to get tighter wording to make it so teachers can get breaks to plan during the day. Wiese also said he will go back to teachers next week and ask what figure they are wanting for a raise.
He said he expects them to say at least an amount equal to inflation.
“If we have to wait for that money, I think this team would be willing to wait it out,” Wiese said after Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
That meeting did have the contract listed on the agenda for a vote. However, since the teachers turned it down, the agenda item was pulled.
Wiese said he originally brought back the contract to be ratified by the teachers since it did address their three main issues: planning time, insurance and pay.
“We felt it was the best we could do at this time,” he said. “[Teachers] felt we didn’t take large enough steps [in those areas].”
Wiese said he hopes to get back to the bargaining table in the next couple of weeks.
Greater Clark Superintendent Stephen Daeschner said he’s had teachers vote down contracts before and is ready to get back to the table to bargain.
Teachers will work off of their expired contract until a new one is signed, Wiese said.
JHS ON PROBATION
Officials at Jeffersonville High School are taking steps to remove the “academic probation” status the school received as part of the state’s Public Law 221 rankings for 2007-08.
Those rankings are based mostly on ISTEP standardized testing scores and the level of improvement from one year to the next. Based off the fall of 2008 ISTEP tests, JHS had 56.7 percent pass the ISTEP, which is a 0.5 percent decrease from the year before.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the school board hosted a public hearing as required by law because of the school’s status. No one from the public chose to talk.
However, Principal Steve Morris did speak about changes the school is making for improvement. Morris said the school is working to align its curriculum and set common quarterly assessments in English, math, science and social studies. Morris said the school will hire teachers to perform English and math tutoring after school, and already students who are behind can take credit recovery classes during or after school.
“We know we are nowhere close to where we want to be and we’re not happy about that,” Morris said. “But, we are working very hard to [remedy] that.”
For the 2006-07 school year, the school was on academic watch. It was on probation the year prior to that, and on watch for the 2004-05 school year.
ONE-TO-ONE LEASE
The school board approved a three-year lease with Apple Inc. for the approximately $600,000 one-to-one computer initiative at Charlestown Middle School by a 5-1 vote, with Ernie Gilbert, board president, voting against. Board member Robbie Valentine left the meeting before the vote.
Becka Christensen, who previously voted against the project, said she voted for it this time since many of her questions were answered, and the city of Charlestown had signed papers signifying it will pay $28,000 per a year for three years in an interlocal agreement with the school system.
The rest of the funds will come from various sources, including a $300,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Education, which was earmarked by the state for this project.
Greater Clark will pay the rest, about $70,000 per year, with professional development and technology funds.
NEW AUTO-TECH
The board also approved a motion to purchase a building — including its two outlying buildings — for Charlestown High School’s automotive technology program.
Christensen said that cost $256,000, which includes closing costs. She said the building is located in the city’s industrial park.
“I am thrilled to have this opportunity for Charlestown student to continue a vocational auto-tech program,” Christensen said.
She said she believes this will be the only school in the district to have such a program. She said students from Jeffersonville and New Washington high schools would be able to drive there to take classes at the facility.
