Three of Utah's holdout school districts have now tentatively settled salary negotiations with teachers, leaving only Cache still unresolved.
Alpine teachers have accepted a 2.2 percent salary increase, and Morgan and Garfield have reached tentative agreement. Cache continues to be at loggerheads with its teacher union. The district has a fact-finder working toward a settlement recommendation in early December.Morgan has offered teachers a tentative package that equates to a 3.25 percent increase. The package is expected to be ratified by the district board during a Dec. 10 meeting.
The district will cover a 10 percent increase in health insurance premiums and implement a 20-year longevity step, with $200 added to the 12th step of each current lane.
Teachers must apply in writing for leave under new wording in the Professional Agreement.
By April 15, 1992, an ad hoc group of three teachers will be invited to participate in the early stages of budget preparation for next fall, on issues that impact teaching.
Garfield's district board also proposes a payment package that totals 3.2 percent in increased pay and benefits. The district's health insurance costs increased by 5 percent.
The tentative agreement is considered a major achievement for teachers, since the district started negotiations from a position that no increases would be granted on the current salary schedule, including standard lane and increment raises.
Statewide, teachers saw an average increase of 7 percent, but after all districts have settled, the average is expected to rise to 8.1 percent, said Jim Eldredge, director of bargaining and legislative services for the Utah Education Association.