LEXINGTON, Ohio – After nearly six months of negotiations between the Lexington Teachers Association (LTA) and the Lexington Board of Education, an agreement has been reached. The tentative agreement on the new three-year contract was reached during the Nov. 18 negotiations meeting.
The tentative agreement was ratified by the board of education during their regular board meeting on Wednesday The ratification was a necessary procedural step in the contract renewal process.
Association spokesperson for the LTA Sarah Freundlich said, “I feel really good about it. We worked very hard and we’re ready to move on in the right direction from here.”
The LTA and the board exchanged initial proposal packages on June 16. Contract talks broke down and an impasse was declared on July 24. The teachers’ contract expired on Aug. 31. On Oct. 8, the association declared a work-to-rule, meaning teachers work only their contractually-obligated hours. The work-to-rule was canceled in light of the tentative agreement.
The new three-year contract is retroactive back to Aug. 31, 2014, when the original contract expired.
Superintendent Mike Ziegelhofer said the most significant changes in the contract are the evaluation process, the salary and fringe benefits and the increase in premiums for insurance for teachers and administrators.
According to Ziegelhofer, every school district in Ohio has changed their teacher evaluation procedure per the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System. The new system was designed by the Ohio Department of Education. The system’s legislature was passed on June 3 to be in effect by the 2014-2015 school year.
He said salary and fringe benefits contractual language was changed.
“We reinstated the experience index that had been frozen the last few years,” said Ziegelhofer.
He also stated that teachers and administrators will now pay more for insurance under the new contract.
Ziegelhofer denied offering a comment on the differences the board and the association encountered during the negotiation process.
“Whenever two entities get together to reach an agreement, they aren’t going to see everything the same way. That always happens when negotiating,” said Ziegelhofer.
One of the concerns brought up by community members in preceding regular board meetings was the amount of money alloted to William C. Pepple, the lawyer used to mediate between the LTA and the school board.
According to Lexington School District Treasurer Jason Whitesel, the district has spent $23,760 on Pepple’s services to date. The last bill paid was dated September 30.
Pepple’s rate was $275 per hour. Whitesel said each montly negotiation meeting started at 5:30 p.m. in the Mid-Ohio Education Service Center. He said the association and the board had the building until 10 p.m., with each meeting lasting approximately four hours.
The next scheduled board meeting, which will serve as an organizational and regular meeting, is on Jan. 14, 2015 at 7 p.m. at Lexington High School.
