Break down of Medford teacher contract negotiations

By Ashley Carrasco / KTVL.COM MEDFORD - It has been 10 months of dispute over a new teacher contract. The Medford School District wants a 3 year contract, while the medford education association wants a 1 or 2 year contract. Cheryl Lashley is president of the teachers union. She says the school district needs to take the contract term one step at a time.They should spend on the foundation they now have before they start looking at the additions they want to add on, says Lashley. While money is a major conflict when negotiating a contract, Lashley says the district is showing a lack of respect to teachers. For example, Lashley says the school district is offering them classroom preparation time but teacher's are not given enough time truly assess each individual student. She declares, If you're going to give me 2 hours of preparation time within the week as an example, I get that in a block of time. it's not 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there.Superintendent Phil Long says currently there are not enough resources in the school district to provide a lump of prep time during the school day, which is something both sides are trying to negotiate. Right now the media specialist position went away, and our music was reduced so elementary teachers have just 40 minutes a week of prep time during the school day. they do have time after the school day, says Long. Lashley argues, teachers are not only unprotected with their working conditions but their senior teachers are being forced to end their career in March because of a proposed change in the retirement plan. Under the current contract, retired teachers have 8 years of insurance coverage after they leave the district. The new contract would instead give a pay-out, which he union has no problem with. Educators are concerned their senior teachers will lose their benefits under their original contract. Lashley says, To just take teachers and push them to a point where they have to make a decision by a certain time within a couple of months now, feels very disrespectful.Long responds, the district cannot give insurance after retirement because the cost is too much and that $180,000 dollars or so, could be used to hire teachers instead. He says the district has every intention of keeping its promise to take care of its retired teachers. We would like to make it more related to people's contribution to our district. And for those people who will qualify, for every year they worked in the district up to this year, we would pay them $1500 when they retire, says Long.The Medford School District and Teacher's Union are schedule to resume negotiations at 9 am Saturday February 8, 2014.