Dozens of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District employees took to Monday’s school board meeting in Soldotna to show their support for staff amid ongoing contract negotiations. It’s been over a year since the district and its two largest employee unions swapped contract proposals. Union members say they’re frustrated with the sluggish process.
So many people packed into the assembly chambers that they spilled out of the building and into the hallway. In the chambers, students sat criss-cross applesauce on the floor and adults wore “Red for Ed” shirts or held matching signs. Posters poked above the crowd – one said “Contracts Now!” while another simply depicted a frowning face.
Monday’s meeting comes more than a month after the unions and school district reached an impasse on contract negotiations. The Kenai Peninsula Education Association represents roughly 540 certificated district employees, while the Kenai Peninsula Educational Support Association represents about 525 support staff.
Superintendent Clayton Holland told attendees the gridlock is difficult for everyone.
“We are in this position where we have to go back and forth on things,” he said. “I get it’s frustrating. I mean, there's times with my own team, like, ‘I need you. What are you guys doing?’ You know, it's a slowdown. The whole thing is for everybody. And I get that is not a place any of us want to be.”
Although the two sides have agreed on miscellaneous contract language, salary and healthcare remain outstanding. Since last summer, most district employees have been operating under the terms of their expired contracts while new ones are hashed out.
Driving discussion is a rift between the union position that more investment in personnel is needed to recruit and retain employees and the district which says its operating under the constraints of a crippling budget shortfall.
On Monday’s agenda was a healthcare proposal tentatively agreed to by the district and unions. School board member Mica Van Buskirk says passing it is an effort to break the stalemate.
“The reason we want to pass this health care thing tonight is so that we get one thing off the table,” she said. “We make some progress. We show some really good faith, some intent that we're really trying to move, and we want to make progress on this. But at the same time, it is a two-way street. A negotiation requires two parties. It's not just us doing this. It is a discussion. It is a conversation.”
Among other things, the proposal would expand the role and transparency of the district-union advisory healthcare committee in evaluating healthcare providers. And it newly allows employees to group coverage with eligible family members who are also district employees.
The plan would increase the district’s proportion of healthcare costs from an 85-15 split, to a 90-10 split. And it would implement new penalties for employees who receive care from an out-of-network provider by reimbursing 60% of the cost of care, rather than 100%.
The school board approved the proposal during the meeting. It now goes to union members for a vote.
Lauren Dial is a paraprofessional at the K-12 school in Ninilchik. In a healthcare plan, she’s looking for lower premiums. She says a recent visit and follow-ups at urgent care cost her around $360.
“That's something that I can't really afford,” she said. “I had to, but I had to go without some groceries that I would have needed, or had to take less trips because gas was too expensive.”
Catherine Mendenhall teaches at Mountain View Elementary School in Kenai. She told the board she’s frustrated with the drawn-out negotiation process.
“I'm a special education teacher with two master's degrees, so I'm at one of the highest salary steps of our contract, and as the only breadwinner in our household of five, I'm also eligible for assistance from the food bank, which I need and get every month,” she said.
Sterling Elementary teacher Brian Krauklis says one of his colleagues, another teacher, is eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.
“We shouldn't be looked at as, you know, ‘Those guys, you know, like, they're greedy,’” he said. “We're trying to earn a living. And when I hear how many teachers are having a hard time getting by. That's the sad part. They should not be having a hard time. And that goes for both of our associations.”
Last month, the board voted to close Krauklis’ school to save money. Next school year, he and some of his colleagues will move to new positions at Soldotna Elementary School.
Union members will be able to vote on the healthcare proposal starting Wednesday at 6 p.m. Voting closes at the end of the day Thursday. If a majority of union members in both groups vote in favor of the healthcare package, it will become effective. If one or both groups fails to pass the proposal, the unions and district go back to the drawing board.
Longtime district teacher Robanne Stading told the board 40% of her contracts over the last two decades have had an asterisk on them to signify ongoing negotiations. She wants that to change.
“It's not acceptable that my fellow colleagues across this entire district are having to wait and wait and wait for these things to be done,” she said. “So I just – I don't want to have to sign a contract again with an asterisk next to it. So let's get that done. Let's get our people taken care of.”
Dial, the paraprofessional from Ninilchik, says she’s tired of the “us versus them” mentality and that negotiations are a reflection of the district’s priorities.
“I really do think that every single person in this building, in this room has a heart for the kids that we work with, and I think that the board has an excellent opportunity to show us how much they care about the kids by giving us fair pay, by giving us livable wages and affordable health care, so that we can then show up better for the students,” she said.
The larger contract and salary proposals will also be subject to approval by the school board and ratification by unions.
