Moscow teachers, school district reach settlement

The Moscow Education Association and Moscow School District ended months of negotiations Wednesday as they tentatively agreed to a 2.25 percent salary increase for teachers for the upcoming school year. The compromise ends talks that have been ongoing since May.

"We set out every year to find a reasonable settlement and I think we've done that, and so the number of times is immaterial that we meet," MEA lead negotiator Mike Wear said. "It's the outcome that's most important and I think we got there."

Wednesday's agreement also avoids any deliberations lingering into the school year, which starts Aug. 30.

"That's always our goal, and it looks like we've reached an agreement both parties can be content with," said Kim Campbell, a spokeswoman for the school district.

The salary increase comes out to a total of $219,258 for the district's 160 teachers. The starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree in the district is currently $32,703, while the maximum salary for a teacher with a master's degree is $62,475.

Last year, as a collective group, MSD teachers had a combined salary of $8.6 million, while benefits brought that total to nearly $12 million. That number does not include classified employees who work for the district in a non-teaching capacity. Those employees are also expected to get a pay raise during a Moscow School Board meeting Aug. 30.

Each of the district's teachers is also getting a $51 increase in benefits per month for the upcoming year.

"It's a fairly significant increase," Campbell said. "It represents a 7 percent increase and the reason why is because our health insurance costs have gone up."

The school district began a Tuesday meeting proposing a 2.05 percent increase, while the MEA had proposed a 2.95 percent increase.

Of the nearly $20 million in last year's budget for the school district, about $10.6 million came from state funds, while most of the remaining total came from local levies.

Sustainability was one of the key words during this week's negotiations, and it appears that even with the increased salaries, the pay is in line with the long-term goals of the district.

"We're going to be cautiously optimistic about where the Legislature is going this next year. I think the last two years have given us reasons to think that they really have education at heart in Idaho," Campbell said. "I can guarantee we're a cautious board, so we wouldn't have offered 2.25 (percent) if we didn't think we could sustain it."

Tom Hager can be reached at (208) 883-4633 or by email to thager@dnews.com.