Trustees Spurn Teachers' Bid

The fiegotiating teáfn ior tfie Board of Education last night rejected the latest salary proposal of the Ann Arbor Teachers' Association - a $1.4 million salary and fringe-benefitj package. The board instead reaffirmed its current proposal to the teachers. This includes $200 raises tor those teachers beyond step 10 of the current salary schedule, normal yearly hikes specified in this year's contract for t h o s e teachers below step 10, fully paid health and accident insurance and continuation of t h e super - maximum pay plan (a merit plan for pay increases for veteran teachers). The proposed hike for the veteran teachers would mean an increase in their maximum salaries f rom $10,140 to $10,340 for teachers with a BA degree, and from $11,070 to $11,270 for those with an MA degree. Trustee Joseph R. Julin, explaining the board's action, said, "There is no possibility of accepting the (teachers') current proposal." In the judgment of the Board of Education, "we are not an impasse, however," he said. Donald Newsted, president of the Ann Arbor Teachers' Association, expressed disappointment at the board's stand. "Absolutely no progress was made last night," he said. "The board refuses to improve its proposal and the AATA negotiating team has come down to its minimum package proposal." Newsted added that the AATA negotiating team will ask for further direction today at a meeting with the total membership "before we decide what our next movéis." Approximately $1 million separates the two negotiating teams. The Board of Education's proposal would cost approximately $400,000 more than the 1967-68 contract, a $1.57 million settlement. The AATA, on the other hand, is asking for a $1.4 million package. This includes salary ranges for teachers with bachelor's degrees from $6,500 to $11,050, and for teachers with master's degrees from $7,150 to $12,350. Current starting salary for a teacher with a BA degree is $6,000. For a teacher with an MA, it is $6,300. The teachers' proposal also requests full hospitalization insurance, the continuation of super-maximum and $10,000 term life insurance policies. Trustee Julin said that the current status of negotiations would be discussed today with the entire Board of Education. He also said that the minimal funds which the board has at its disposal to finance salary increases apparently will be "substantially less" than had been anticipated - about $200,1 000 less. This turn. of events, he said, will be caused by the implemen-l tation of a new state-aid for-j mula, which will decrease the amount of state aid to those school districts with a high state equalized valuation (the amount of money which theoretically backs each school child). Ann Arbor has a high valuation. I