Nebo, Provo educators in negotiations

PROVO — One almost done and another is just starting.

While Provo School District starts teacher-contract negotiations today, Nebo School District's negotiations between teachers and administrators is almost over.

Jeff Alexander, president of the Nebo Education Association, said that the agreement is pending ratification of a majority of the NEA members. Teachers could vote sometime next week, Alexander said.

Nebo teachers will receive a 3.25 percent pay increase on their base salaries.

Teachers have a 27-step pay scale, and Nebo is boosting the salaries of most of the steps by 7 percent, Alexander said.

Teachers can move into higher steps by achieving milestones, such as earning a master's degree or remaining on the job for a certain number of years.

One challenge: Medical insurance premiums increased for the district by about 9.78 percent. "We did a little bit of finagling with our pharmaceutical (benefit) so it was about 7.8 percent," Alexander said.

Specifically, the unions agreed to stop purchasing drugs at pharmacies each month in exchange for a mail-in program in which 90 days of drugs will be mailed to homes. The change will save money for the district, which will pay for the entire medical insurance increase.

The district met with administrators about three or four times to negotiate, Alexander said. In all, negotiations took about 20 hours.

Last month, the NEA OK'd a change in early retirement benefits that will result in a medical insurance change.

Instead of automatic coverage by the district's medical insurance company, retired employees receive $50,000 that they can use on any health insurance.

Provo School District Superintendent Randy Merrill said he expects this year's negotiations to go smoother than last year's, which took nearly five months and included a two-month impasse in which the teachers ordered the Provo Education Association representatives to stop negotiating for the summer.

Teachers were angry by about cuts in retirement benefits.

An increase in funding from the Utah Legislature will bring $1.8 million more for the district, which has a budget of about $85 million, Merrill said. Last year, the teachers received a 0.5 percent base salary increase. Medical insurance premiums increased by more than 20 percent and teachers had to pay part of them.

This year, medical insurance will increase by about 15 percent, Merrill said.

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com