Teachers in Geary USD 475 have turned down a contract offer for the current 2015-16 school year. Contract negotiations remain at impasse.

The vote announced on Friday by USD 475 officials included 355 teachers in the district voting no and 113 yes. A total of 468 out of 729 teachers cast a vote, for a percentage total of 64.19%.

Brian Field, Board of Education President, was disappointed. “We’re very disappointed. In the end we felt like we offered a fair contract. The contract included an average salary increase of 7.23%. But from here we’ll continue to move forward. In the end we want what’s best for everybody involved, but we really want, especially, what’s best for the students of USD 475.” Initially school district officials had indicated the raise for teachers would average 6.5%, but the percentage released Friday was even higher.

The next step in the process must be determined. State Statute calls for  a move on to a fact finding process. ( JC Post had initially reported that if the fact finding step is bypassed the next step could possibly be the issuance of a unilateral contract by the Board, but the fact finding is required under  statute.)  For now, teachers are working under the contract that was in effect for the 2014-15 school year.

Issues in the contract negotiations on which the two sides differ range from taking the work day from 7 hours 50 minutes up to 8 hours, added collaboration time where administrators could be active participants with input in collaboration among teachers, allowing meetings to start a little later after school following the departure of students or a bit earlier before students arrived at  school, and elimination of flex time where teachers had some options of arriving or departing 15 minutes early…for example a teacher required to arrive 15 minutes early could depart 15 minutes early.

The Board of Education will discuss their next step when they meet Monday at the Devin Center. KASB attorney David Shriver plans to meet with the Board then. He has been their lead negotiator in the contract process this year.