School board imposes contract on teachers

By Andrea J. Cook, Journal staff | Friday, January 12, 2007

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RAPID CITY — After more than 20 years as a science teacher at Central High School, Mark Farrand vowed Thursday to no longer arrive early, work late or devote nights and weekends after the Rapid City School Board imposed a contract on the district’s more than 900 teachers.

“I’ll give you everything I have when I’m there,” said Farrand, who won a 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science.

Farrand’s voice quavered with emotion as he said he is done arriving before 7:45 a.m. and taking work home with him.

Farrand asked the board to remove his photo and information recognizing his Presidential Award from the school district’s Web site.

“I do not appreciate being associated with this district and the way we are being appreciated in this whole salary and contract situation,” Farrand said.

A Department of Labor fact-finding judge ruled last week in favor of the school board on two disputed contract issues. The school board had two options Thursday: imposing its “last best offer” — which was made in October — or reopening negotiations.

The school board and the Rapid City Education Association were at odds over the board’s offer of a 3 percent raise and a step advance on the salary scale for qualifying teachers. They also clashed over a 23-year practice of the district allowing the union to buy leave time for the its leadership.

Teachers and their supporters packed the council chambers at the City/School Administration Center to watch the school board make its decision. School board member Daphne Richards-Cook has not participated in any of the negotiation discussions and did not vote on the contract because her husband, Robert Cook, is a teacher.

Before calling for the final vote to impose the contract, school board president Margie Rosario had attorney Michael Hickey review the disputed items.

Rosario then diverted from the agenda and allowed teachers to speak during an open forum.

Among those to speak was Tim Holmgren, whose wife is a teacher. Holmgren chastised Hickey for commenting that he only “assumed” that data provided by the union during negotiations was accurate.

“I thank Eric (Abrahamson) as one of the few who seem to get it that this is just not about money, but respect,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren suggested that because the board determines teachers’ raises on the basis of what’s left in the budget after other expenses are computed, it should apply the same practice to administrators’ salaries.

Stevens High School teacher Ron Riherd, who served on the union’s negotiations team and emphasized that he was speaking as an individual and not for the union, said that the district has enough money to put the additional $650,000 into salaries that the teachers asked for. The district continues to have more left at the end of the year than it spends, he said.

Riherd agreed with business manager Dave Janak’s assessment that one-time money the state gives the district should not be used for salaries.

He drew applause from teachers when he suggested using one-time money for a bonus rather than putting it into a district project.

“It’s about time to prioritize for teachers and salaries rather than in other areas,” Riherd told the school.

Central High School teacher Scott Sturlaugson said he spoke for many of the teachers in the room. Sturlaugson said he disagreed with Farrand that the board does not respect its teachers. Rather, the board cannot relate to teachers, he said.

“I don’t think you understand what it is like to walk in our shoes, because you haven’t been there and aren’t there now,” Sturlaugson said. As the primary breadwinner for his family, Sturlaugson said, there’s no one on the board who understands what it is like to live on his salary.

It should not be the teachers’ responsibility to find enough money to pay teachers, he said.

“It’s your job,” Sturlaugson said.

“It’s great to say it’s our job to change it,” school board president Margie Rosario responded. But the Legislature has not listened in the past, she said.

“I understand you are not happy with what’s offered,” Rosario said, adding that the board would squeeze more out of the budget if it could, she said.

Rosario was the only board member to address teachers during the meeting.

Rosario used the opportunity to encourage teachers to stay active in the upcoming legislative session and support proposed legislation that would increase the funding formula to 4.3 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher.

School boards have tried to get additional funds since the formula was implemented, she said.

Rosario said it will take the collective clout of all educators to change the funding formula.

“We’re walking as close to you as we can; we do not mean to be disrespectful. We do respect you,” Rosario said.

Union co-presidents Nancy Kroeger and Sue Podoll expected the board’s decision but did not say what the union’s response will be to the conditions imposed by the board Thursday. The women have continued their leadership duties without association leave time since August.

“This is a strong organization, and we will continue to work to promote the best working conditions and professional development for the individuals in Rapid City,” Kroeger said.

“We will find ways to do the kinds of things that we have done previously during our association leave outside of leave time and it will happen,” she said. “There’s change in the air, and we’re going to work with it.”

But the women did not rule out the possibility of the district and the union’s relationship continuing to be contentious.

“You have to think about the consequences of the decision you’ve made,” Kroeger said. “And the decision they’ve made is going to have consequences.”

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com