White Shield grievances heard
White Shield grievances heard
Impasse remains in place
By STU MERRY
The first step has been taken and a hurdle cleared. But the biggest hurdle remains for the White Shield School Board and the White Shield Board of Education, and the clock is ticking.
The two sides, attempting to negotiate a two-year teacher contract, have been at impasse for the past couple of months. This past week, the two sides sat down with the State Fact Finding Commission to plead their case and air grievances.
After opening remarks, each side was given a chance to justify its position. Speaking for the WSEA was Charlotte Coleman. She said the association thinks minimal progress had been made since negotiations began, and that is why an impasse was declared. Coleman said the association felt it was constantly giving.
“We give and we give and there weren’t any changes from the other side … we just threw our hands up,” Coleman said.
Pleading the case for the board was counsel Rachel A. Bruner-Kaufman with Pearce & Durick, Bismarck. She rebutted some of the claims, saying White Shield educators are compensated equally with their counterparts in the area.
Sifting through the testimony, the commission dismissed some issues, addressing others.
One issue settled was the base pay, which was set at $32,000. But other matters left the commission scratching its head.
