The Chelsea Education Association (CEA) and the Chelsea School District will be headed to the fact finding stage of contract negotiations for the first time.
Fact finding happens when traditional bargaining and the further step of involving a state mediator have proven unsuccessful at reaching an agreement according to a press release from the CEA.
“We believe that what we’ve proposed is fair and reasonable, especially with the information that was released from the state audit, at the Oct. 13 School Board meeting,” CEA President Rick Catherman said in a press release.
Those numbers were presented by an auditor and showed more available money than the school district was originally projecting.
“Our goal is to provide working conditions and compensation that will continue to keep teachers healthy and in their classrooms working with students,” Catherman said, adding, “A strong collective bargaining agreement will allow the Chelsea School District to continue to maintain and attract the high-quality educators that make Chelsea a high-achieving and attractive district for students and families.”
The auditor’s presentation to the School Board included a report on how much money was collected and saved in the General Fund Equity for the school district. The fund is used to pay bills at the beginning of the school year until the state foundation money is received, according to the press release.
Until last school year, Chelsea’s Board of Education goal had been to keep at least 10 percent of its overall budget in that account, but during the 2013-14 school year the board adopted a policy increasing that amount to 15 percent.
At the recent School Board meeting, the auditor reported the district’s fund equity is above 19 percent. According to the press release, no other district in Washtenaw County has as high a GFE as Chelsea.
The Chelsea Education Association is hopeful that through the public process of fact finding a reasonable contract agreement can be found.
Seems like the teachers have had raises above and beyond other educators in the area over
The past several years.
They still have excellent benefits compared to most people. Our school board has done a great job in managing finances in the past and certainly has my trust. Besides, as far as I can tell, Chelsea is now the third smallest district in the WISD.