The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

December 10, 2009

Lake Crystal settled school contract

By Tanner Kent

Having reached a deal in late November, the Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School District is among the first in the region to finalize a contract settlement with teachers.

Statewide, fewer than 60 of Minnesota’s 340-plus school districts have reached settlements. If contracts are not settled by Jan. 15, the state imposes a $25 per pupil fine on school districts.

The LCWM School Board formally approved the two-year contract at its Nov. 30 meeting. In the new agreement, teachers will continue to have step and lane increases for each year in addition to a 1 percent salary increase for the first year.

“Both parties recognized we are in some very difficult times financially,” Supt. Les Norman said. “They came to a good compromise.”

With no increase in health insurance or extracurricular pay, Norman said the two-year contract amounts to an overall increase of 2.73 percent (1.98 percent the first year, 0.75 percent the second year).

According to numbers collected by the Minnesota School Boards Association, LCWM’s contract increase is among the lowest in the state so far.

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