Negotiations set precedent in State of Idaho
By Jean Jacques Bohl
Negotiations between the Blaine County School District Board of Trustees and the Blaine County Administrative Group will resume tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m., and will continue tomorrow, if needed. The negotiations are open to the public and take place in the Minnie Moore Room at the Community Campus in Hailey.
The negotiators met three times last week. On Thursday, Dec. 1, the session was dedicated to training in interest-based bargaining, a negotiating protocol already used in the yearly negotiations between the school board and the Blaine County Education Association. Wood River High School teachers Marsha Azorski and Joni Cashman facilitated the training.
The negotiations are ongoing. A tentative agreement on a salary schedule and benefits package for administrators would incorporate the level of education needed for the position as well as the amount of student contact. While district-based administrators don’t have daily student contact, they nevertheless impact students districtwide. Since the negotiations haven’t formally ended, details of the schedule are still subject to possible alterations.
The board negotiators are chairman Shawn Bennion, vice chairman Liz Corker and members Rob Clayton and Ellen Mandeville. Director of Testing Marcia Grabow, Wood River High School Principal John Pearce and Wood River Middle School Principal Fritz Peters represent the Blaine County Administrative Group. Two representatives of the General Teamsters, Warehousemen and Helpers Union are present as advisers, but don’t sit at the negotiating table. The Administrative Group is affiliated with the Teamsters.
The current negotiations are setting a historical first in Idaho. Until now, there has never been a negotiation between a school board and an administrative group.
The main issue still to be decided is the master agreement, similar to one previously negotiated between the board and the teachers. Such an agreement defines the working conditions, hours and calendar days of employment, evaluation and grievance protocols.