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Sibley East’s Board of Education and the Sibley East teachers have reached a contract settlement for 2007-2009.

The Board of Education, Monday night, approved salary increases, including steps and increments, of 2.18% for the 2007-2008 contract year, and 1% for the 2008-2009 contract year. According to Superintendent John Langenbrunner, there was no increase in pay for extra curricular assignments during the two-year contract.

When including the fixed costs of the contract, which include insurance and retirement benefits, the total package increase over the two years is 9.86%, 5.92% for 2007-2008, and 3.94% in 2008-2009.

A feature in this year’s settlement is that more money was provided for teachers to further their education, Langenbrunner explained. In the past, more money was provided for those teachers for bachelor’s degrees. “It is a benefit to the district and students,” he said.

Another change in contract language is that teachers will now only be allowed to use one personal day in May. Langenbrunner said that in the past, it has been difficult to find substitute teachers during that time of year.

As part of the agreement, the teachers and the school district agreed to work jointly to examine ways to reduce district employee and employer health insurance.

Individual teacher contracts will be modified twice per school year to reflect qualified lane changes providing a transcript, or other documented proof by college authorities, or qualified credits are submitted to the Superintendent’s office no later than September 15 and February 15 each year.

The hourly rate of pay for teachers substituting during their preparation period for another teacher was increased to $27.50 per class hour, up from $20.

This may be one of the district’s quickest settlements in recent years. The past few years, the contracts were settled in December or January. The teachers approved the agreement 77-7, Langenbrunner said.

Langenbrunner said that there were four meetings face-to-face with the full district negotiations committee and full teachers’ negotiators. Other sessions (between five and seven) were held with teacher representatives and himself to follow-up on large group discussions and provide clarification prior to bringing the entire negotiation team together. Each group also held their own meetings with team members, he said.

“When we went into negotiations, we were not sure what the environment would be,” Langenbrunner said. “It was one of the better climates. I would like to tip my hat to the members of the school board and Sibley East Education Minnesota (teacher’s union). We had a excellent working relationship.”

School district attorney Tony Nerud echoed Langenbrunner’s opinion. “The atmosphere was businesslike, professional and cordial,” he said.