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Teachers in the Neoga Community Unit Schools voted to go on strike as of October 19. The teachers have been negotiating since
April 20 and have been working without a contract since August 20. In fact, Neoga teachers have spent 13 of the last 18 months
in negotiations. A federal mediator assisted with negotiations again this year, but an agreement could not be reached.
Last year, despite deep feelings of unfairness, Neoga teachers reluctantly signed a one-year agreement in order to avoid
a strike. The total "new money" projected cost to the district was 3.9%, fully inclusive of new money for insurance
and salary. Our most senior and experienced teachers actually received small raises of only around 2.75%--less than cost
of living increases and far less than other teachers in the district. This does not encourage experienced teachers to remain
in our district.
In 2005-06, salaries for new teachers in Neoga were very close to the state average for starting teachers' salaries (just
3.75% less) while our most experienced teachers lagged more than 14.25% behind the state average. Senior teachers are paid
less than senior teachers in Shelbyville, Stewardson/Strasburg, Lovington, Teutopolis, Altamont, Sullivan, Cumberland, and
17 other area districts.
It's important for you to know that the school district maintains HEALTHY FUND BALANCES and is fully able to fund the
teachers' proposals WITH NO NEW TAXES! The State Board of Education ranks Neoga as one of the most financially sound school
districts in the state.
Further, almost half the teachers in Neoga have Master's Degrees, and our students are achieving above the state standards.
WHY CAN'T THE BOARD PAY AVERAGE SALARIES TO THE TEACHERS IN NEOGA?
Please, call the Board members and Superintendent to let them know you support a fair contract for the teachers. We very
much appreciate your support.
Superintendent:
Dr. Debby Poindexter 573-275-0152
Board Members:
Randy Beltz 895-3699
Glenn Braden 895-2351
Doug Deters (Vice-President) 844-2329
Mark Livingston 849-2764
Karen Mayhall (Secretary) 844-2109
Mark Tarter (President) 844-2450
Julie Williamson 895-3745
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Negotiations To Resume
The federal mediator has called the NTA and the school board back to the bargaining table on Saturday, November 4th.
There are no guarantees that issues will be resolved, but this is a step in the right direction. The NTA bargaining team
will be going into this meeting with the attitude that we want to negotiate a fair and equitable contract and bring an end
to this strike.
Community Forum
Last night's Community Forum was well-attended. We would like to thank First Christian Church for opening their building
for us, and we would also like to thank former board president Jim Whitaker for serving as moderator. Additionally, we appreciate
and would like to thank all in attendance for maintaining a civil atmosphere, no matter their stance on the issues.
We hope that we answered all of your questions in a satisfactory manner. If you would like to ask us for more information,
please feel free to contact us. Our Crisis Center, located on 6th Street between the food pantry and the flower shop, is
open to the public. Please stop in and we'll do our very best to provide you with the information you seek. If you are unable
to stop past the Crisis Center, please feel free to call us or e-mail us. Our phone number and e-mail address are listed
at the bottom of this page.
Press Release--UPDATE
The NTA called upon the Board of Education today to enter into an agreement for neutral, third-party binding arbitration
of the disputed items in the negotiations, a move that could bring an immediate end to the walkout that has closed schools
and idled the district's 849 students since last Thursday.
If the Board accepts, the strike would end immediately, classes could resume, and both the school board and the association
would have the opportunity to present their views about the contract before a neutral third-party arbitrator who would eventually
make a final decision based on fairness.
"We clearly left the door open for the school board to meet us halfway and look at arbitration as a fair and equitable
effort to end the strike. We certainly can't settle it if we're not talking. Arbitration would be a means to end it now,
even though the specific provisions of the contract would be decided later."--NTA President Brenda Jones
THE NEOGA SCHOOL BOARD REFUSED TO ACCEPT OUR OFFER OF BINDING ARBITRATION.
NOTICE TO PARENTS
The Neoga CUSD School Board has decided to close schools during the strike. Students will not be in attendance.
The Neoga Teacher's Association (NTA) is ready and willing to negotiate with the school board any time and any place.
We ask that you CALL BOARD MEMBERS and Superintendent Poindexter and encourage them to offer a fair and equitable contract
to Neoga teachers.
We also encourage you to write letters to the editors of local newspapers and make your wishes known. Feel free to stop
past our Crisis Center, located just east of the four-way stop on 6th Street, and we can supply you with more information.
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