TRAVERSE CITY – Contract extensions for public school staff in the Traverse City Area were approved in a six-hour Education Committee meeting.
The eight agreements were approved towards the end of the meeting, which was dominated by nearly three hours of public comment on the district’s racial and discrimination curriculum, as well as by trustees approving the publication of the letter of complaint filed almost two years ago against the former TCAPS -Superintendent Ann Cardon installed.
Trustees met in a closed session for just over an hour to discuss the contracts, which guarantee a 1.5 percent incremental salary increase for salaried employees and hourly workers, as well as guaranteed benefits for the 2023-24 school year.
The board members unanimously approved all agreed extensions on June 14th.
In February, negotiations began to adjust the previous contracts, which were approved in late 2018 and early 2019 and will expire on June 30, 2022.
The extensions include school principals, teachers, bus drivers, hospitality workers, administrative and support staff, members of the TCAPS management team, maintenance staff and caretakers, as well as secretaries, auxiliaries and other office workers.
Negotiations over money and benefits can often be tense or controversial, but Kirsten Morgan, president of the Traverse City Administrators Association, said the process was “appropriate” and “fairly smooth”. Morgan said this was appreciated considering how difficult COVID-19 made the final year of school.
“It’s been a year of distraction and hardship for everyone,” said Morgan. “For administrators and teachers, billing the contracts helps to focus on teaching and learning and the experience of our children – the necessary work as educators.”
Morgan said prioritizing the needs of all eight groups of employees was an important part of deciding how to allocate resources.
“We all know this is a district that is underfunded compared to comparable districts in the Downstate area,” she said. “Nobody goes into training because they expect this great compensation package. That’s not really our goal. Our goal is to do something for the lives of children. “
Federal funding provided through COVID-19 relief packages allayed concerns about how the district would pay for salary increases and increased benefits. Cindy Berck, TCAPS executive director of human resources, said it was easier to determine how much money would be available.
Settling the contracts also eased the pressure workers, union officials and TCAPS headquarters would have felt at work and negotiating in the uncertainty that the final year of the contract brings.
TCAPS Superintendent John VanWagoner said it was positive for the district to bring stability to staff during such unstable times. Both VanWagoner and Berck said the expansions offer the added benefit of retaining existing employees and attracting new employees to the district.
“People know exactly where they’ll be on the compensation plan. You don’t have to guess or wonder if your health insurance will be affected, ”VanWagoner said.
As with the previous contract, the renewals allow the groups to meet each year and discuss the terms of the agreements. Berck said this was helpful in maintaining healthy working relationships between all sides. Agents can bring up and address any issues without having to wait for the contracts to expire.
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” said Berck.
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