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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bonner County Teachers Vote To Ring The Bell Despite Bad Feelings, Leader Says The Innocent Shouldn’t Pay Price Of Strike

Despite not having a new contract, Bonner County teachers will report to work today after voting not to go strike.

Teachers have gone nearly two years without a labor agreement, and union officials said they will push for a speedy contract settlement without walking off the job.

“The point is we have gone a long time without a contract, and it’s time to quit pointing fingers over who is dragging their feet and get the job done,” said Bonner County Education Association President Enid Trenholm.

“Teachers have been real patient and at the bottom of the list for too long.”

The union has formed a crisis committee to inform the public what is happening within the district. With students reporting to school next week, Trenholm said a strike was not the right thing to do for the community.

“These teachers do care and were worried about the imposition it would put on parents and others in the community,” Trenholm said. “There are a lot of people involved in the school system, including bus drivers, secretaries and aides who want to get on with education for children.”

The main thing teachers are asking is the school board get rid of negotiators they hired last year for $14,500. The union wants trustees to meet with them and hammer out a contract. The last adopted agreement was for the 1995-96 school year.

Some district officials aren’t ready to meet with teachers and say the union is not following proper procedure.

Trustee Tom Fuhriman said the district is waiting for a fact-finding report that basically lays out items and the amount of money for raises that will be up for negotiation. That report is not due until Sept. 23.

“My understanding is both sides are not allowed to do anything in the interim,” Fuhriman said. “They (teachers) are not even suppose to be asking us to meet and discuss this. I’m kind of mystified why this is going on before the report comes back.”

Trenholm disagrees with Fuhriman’s interpretation of the process, calling the report a financial analysis. The only progress with the paid negotiators from Seattle has been adopting a 70-plus page document that lays out how negotiations will proceed, she said.

School trustee Blaine Stevens said he talked with many teachers before they voted not to strike. He understands the frustration of not having a new contract but said there are two sides to “that (negotiating) table.”

Still, he was not opposed to sitting down with union members to try to cut a deal as soon as possible.

“With the blessing and help of our negotiators, I wouldn’t mind doing it. I understand where they are coming from, but I hope they appreciate where we are too.”

Union officials said it would take 48 hours to come to terms on a new contract if the board met with them. The issue is not raising salaries, Trenholm said, it’s about teacher morale and communication in the district.

“We all have a stake in the community, but somehow we have lost the ability to sit down with each other and solve our differences.”

Teachers may claim the issue is not money, but that is what it boils down to, Fuhriman said.

“What they are asking for would cost us an additional $1 million this year. To me that makes it about money if it’s going to cost taxpayers in this district, and we don’t have it.”

The district now has an estimated $415,000 deficit. Teacher are asking for a minimal salary increase, arguing administrators received a 2.8 percent raise this year. The most costly item is a request the district pay 50 percent of the premium on health insurance for family members of employees.

If that benefit were added for teachers it would also have to be extended to classified employees, Fuhriman said. That would cost the district about $600,000.

“My feeling is we stick with the negotiators,” he said. “The issues are too critical and way too time consuming.”

Teachers are also concerned about how the district is being run and say there is a communication problem with administrators, including Superintendent Max Harrell. The union cast a vote of no-confidence in Harrell last year. Harrell did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

One example of poor management, Trenholm said was the delay in naming three principals and one vice-principal.

Principals reported to work last week, but several new ones were just named Tuesday night. Secretaries were running the three schools and fielding questions from parents where principals were absent.

, DataTimes