TPS principals agree to pay premium portion

By DEB WUETHRICH

A tentative agreement between the Tecumseh Administrators Association (TAA) and Tecumseh Public Schools will find the district’s principals making a 10 percent contribution toward their insurance premiums each month for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 (to begin on March 1, 2010). Up to now, the principals have made no contribution toward premiums.

The groups agreed to proposed language outlining a district payment of 90 percent towards the premiums during a negotiating meeting held January 28, with members contributing the remaining 10 percent on premiums of approximately $1,350 per month.

“I thought that was pretty good news,” said Superintendent Mike McAran, who added that Tecumseh Middle School principal Rick Hilderley spearheaded the effort. “We were pretty pleased that they stepped up and took a larger deduction. That’s a step in the right direction because things are going to have to change in the way that schools do things.”
Chief Financial Officer Bill Wright said that although the district has managed to build up its fund balance, there won’t be enough to carry the school into the future.

“Over the next two years, we won’t have enough fund balance to carry us, and that’s why we have to make cuts in the area of $2.3 million,” said Wright. “We’re talking about tough times.”

Wright said that what has made budgeting even more difficult has been the fact that school districts did not know what their School Foundation Allowance would be until a Revenue Estimating Conferences held January 11.

Other Tecumseh Public Schools groups that already have agreed to making a 10 percent contribution toward insurance premiums are the custodial/maintenance unions, and central office staff.

The district is still negotiating with the teachers (Tecumseh Education Association), who currently make a five percent contribution toward insurance premiums. The TEA contract expired in June 2009, and negotiating sessions have been held since before that date.

The TAA also agreed to a “ME TOO” clause for salary increase, freeze, or reductions agreed to by the TEA and TPS (including salary step agreements), meaning that the members would get whatever is agreed to by the teacher’s union and the schools.