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NORTH MANCHESTER - After eight months of negotiating, the North Manchester School Board and Manchester Community Schools teachers reached a contract agreement.
"It's been a long and challenging eight months," Barbara Williams, Manchester Teachers Association president, said Tuesday at the school board meeting. "We finally came to an agreement."
On behalf of MCS teachers, Williams thanked Superintendent Connie Curry, Assistant Superintendent Kim Thurston, the school board and all those involved with the negotiations. She said both the teachers and the administration want the same thing: quality education for the young people in the community, fair pay for teachers and fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of the community.
Throughout the negotiating process Manchester teachers attended several school board meetings to show their support and sported red buttons with "TWANC" on them: Teachers Without A New Contract. Teachers also rallied outside one of the board meetings to pass out fliers addressing the number of days passed for teachers without a new contract. They passed up several opportunities to speak at board meetings and limited their comments on the situation to private negotiation meetings with the school board. Manchester teachers were the only teachers in the area working this school year without a new contract.
That changed following a mediation session April 16 when an agreement was reached.
Curry said Tuesday the Manchester teaching staff will receive a 3 percent increase retroactive to the beginning of the 2000-01 school year. They also will receive a 3.75 percent increase for the 2001-02 school year.
Board president Kent Trickle thanked everyone for the "fine effort you've done" and said he was happy an agreement was reached.
"I really do appreciate and care about our teachers," Trickle said. But, he said, he was disappointed and believed it was wrong that some teachers brought the issue into the classroom and refused to do extra tutoring outside of school hours. Trickle also said he doesn't know of any other job or corporation receiving this kind of increase.
Sixth-year teacher Matt Webb thanked the school board for their work with the contract but said morale among teachers was the lowest he's seen since teaching for MCS. He questioned: "Should we have been in this position to begin with?"
Susan Weller, teacher, said the lengthy negotiation process hurt the trust level between teachers and administration, but she would like the healing process to begin. She said she sees that Trickle is not yet ready to begin the healing process and wonders if teachers are seen simply as "unruly" employees that "need to fall in place."
Trickle said the comments he made regarding his disappointment are his own views and not those of the rest of the school board. He also said he would be behind the board with its decision on the contract.
Board members approved the new contract Monday.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from Manchester High School teacher Jim Myer and four of his chemistry students on an independent study they completed dealing with organic chemistry and robotics. Two students built two robots and a robotic arm from scratch. Students also discussed their recent trip to Disney World and Epcot Center in Florida and a recent tour of DePuy Orthopaedics, Warsaw.
Myer said 14 students attended the trip this year.
• MHS assistant principal Randy Self presented information on the high school gym renovation plans.
Self said three goals for the renovations include providing better physical education and athletic practice facilities, better seating for athletic events and making the facility more aesthetically pleasing.
Thurston will prepare a proposal request for architects for the next board meeting May 15 at 7 p.m.
Manchester Community Schools Board of Trustees members are: president Kent Trickle, vice president Virginia Gunter, secretary Larry Miller, Todd Speicher, Sally Krouse, Brad Perrott and Thom Frantz. Superintendent is Connie Curry. Assistant superintendent is Kim Thurston.
