GRPS contract details, a new option for Lexington school? – GRPS Notes 10/20
October 20th, 2008 at 9:53 pm by Tony Tagliavia under News
Some west siders put forth a new plan for GRPS’ old Lexington School at tonight’s board meeting — and afterward we got a look at the exact details of the latest GRPS contract proposal.
A letter sent to teachers shows that administrators’ September 17 contract offer would have left few things changed for the 2007-2008 school year. (A district spokesman says the union has not made a counter offer but the district considers the offer rejected.)
Teachers with the most seniority — those who don’t qualify for so-called step increases — would get a 0.5 percent stipend.
But in 2008-2009, the current school year, the district offered a 1.5 percent raise and a 1.5 percent “stipend” offer to teachers at the high end of the seniority scale. The district offered an alternative 2 percent across-the-board raise for 2008-2009 that would not have included the stipend for senior-most teachers.
On health care, the district’s offer would mandate 8 percent teacher contributions to the cost of health care premiums. It offered an alternative plan to put teachers on a “10/20″ drug plan with GRPS giving the union a one time $25,000 stipend to go toward a reimbursement pool.
The district offered up the old Lexington property — assessed at $610,000 — for $690,000 and received a cash offer from a developer looking to turn the building into apartments.
Some neighbors are unhappy with the plan and are now asking GRPS to consider turning the property into a community center and health clinic. The developer’s offer has to come before the GRPS Finance Committee before it goes to the full board. We’ll keep you posted.
Your thoughts?
Tony
Tags: GREA, GRPS, Schools, teachers, teachers contract, teachers union
Sounds like a fantastic offer from the district. No doubt the union will turn it down and greedily seek more. GRPS teachers who value their jobs should tell GREA to take a hike; GREA is a cancer to this city’s educational health.
When is the media going to tell us how much the average teacher makes a year so the public can decide if they need more pay.
As for Lexington School, GRPS should make the offer’s acceptance contingent on the approval of the re-zoning that would be required to accommodate higher-density housing in the existent single-family/low density-zoned neighborhood. That would make more work for the neighbors, but it would show at least a mild amount of respect for the neighborhood’s housing concerns.