Teachers Agree To New Talks

The Ann Arbor Education Association has agreed to return to the negotiating I table with the Board of Education at 1 p.m. Thursday in closed session. "We hope that the board has a proposal to offer which demonstrates good I faith attempts to reach settlement. We I reitérate that we are ready to respond , I in the spirit of reaching settlements," I the AAEA said. In a statement the Association said, I "We believe that the board should furI ther show it's willingness to implement I previous contractual commitments by I beginning now to pay the experience I credit teachers have earned on last I year's schedule and to which they have I been entitled since the end of Phase 1 I of the wage-price freeze. "The board has refused to honor this I contractual obligation, although they I asreed to abide by the terms of last year's agreement. The board's last otfer represents the grand total of a 1.7 per cent increase in average salaries after' experience credit is granted. The statewide average percentage increase for teachers in Michigan this year is over 5 per cent above experience credit. The national pay board does not consider experience credit itself a raise, and the assocation's last offer of approximately 5 per cent after exeprience credit is granted would barely allow us to keep our already low position compared to other Michigan districts of similar size and wealth." "The administration continúes to plead poverty, but refuses to budget $331,000 in expected revenue this year from the county. At the same time, costs for salaries of central administration has increased $85,000 over last year, as documented by us to the board and the press, and $125,000 savings in this area is being claimed, the AAEA said. i "New programs have been continually added and budgeted for since September while several groups of personnel continue to function without contacts. That kind of poverty does not give the imI pression of honesty to the teachers or I the Dublic." School Supt. R. Bruce McPherson said I today: "The AAEA has asked that the I board resume negotiations with a salary proposal at least as much as was offered in early September. The last offer of the board then was for $920,000, which included $340,000 in program and service cuts." "The situation has changed drastically since September. We can no longer genérate the same funds with those same program and service cuts. Why not? We took the Association at its word_whenjts_ leadership said they could not accept I such reductions. We moved ahead in I plementing programs. "Now we are nearly halfway through I our fiscal year. Much of our money has I been spent. Furthermore, nearly all I sonnel are now under contract, which I was not the case in September. In I tion, while program and service cuts I are always difficult to make, the I nation of existing programs or I ment of new programs is best done prior I to the opening of school. Action in midto the opening of school. Action in midyear tends to be very disruptive for all of us, and particularly students and parents. "We have $580,000 for settling a contract with teachers without program and service cuts. We will move beyond that figure, of course. But there is no magie that can be used. We can not achieve settlement at a figure higher than $580,000 without program and service cuts," said McPherson.