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Turner teacher negotiations moving slowly

BELOIT TOWNSHIP — Beloit Turner School District officials spent Friday crunching numbers as teacher contract negotiations slowly move forward.

“As long as the lines of communication are open, I think that’s a positive thing,” said district Administrator Dennis McCarthy

“As far as working without a settled contract, I’m not discouraged. Most districts are unsettled at this point.”

According to union spokeswoman Shelly Crull-Henke, the latest counter-offer, made Thursday, includes:

- A 2.75 percent per-cell salary increase for each of the two years of the contract. A “cell” measures a teacher’s seniority by education and teaching experience.

- A retirement benefit of $10,000 for each of the two years of the contract. The teachers currently get a $6,500 retirement package.

- The teachers have agreed to a less costly Wisconsin Education Association insurance package.

- Teachers still are seeking compensation for meetings that go long when writing Individual Education Programs.

The last offer made by the district included a “sunset” benefit package of $10,000 the first year and $7,500 the second, McCarthy said.

Fourteen teachers are eligible to retire during the contract years.

The difference between the two sides is large, McCarthy said.

“You’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. “For the general public, I think that would be a hard thing to look at.”

The school board will discuss the offer in closed session Monday night.