MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Teachers in most Wisconsin school districts are starting the year without contracts.
Just under half of the 425 school systems have settlements for the two-year period which began in the fall of last year.
Barry Forbes of the school boards’ association says about 15 districts have called for a mediator to help them settle – and binding arbitration would be their next step. Forbes says the overall negotiations are going slower than in the past, because unions have more bargaining power.
The state budget which took effect a year ago ends the requirement to avoid arbitration if a school board offers at least a 3.8 percent annual increase in salaries and benefits. But the change was accompanied by a loss of state aid in many districts due to the state’s budget problems.
As a result, Forbes says the average settlements called for increases of about 3.75 percent in each of the 2 years. Christina Brey of the state’s largest teachers’ union says it amounts to a 2 percent hike in actual salaries – and she says that’s not drastic at all.
