1/21/14 - A new teachers' union contract was passed by the Howell School Board last night, but the district still has unfinished business related to the negotiation process. The meeting was standing-room-only with about 150 people in attendance. The district has been struggling to get a contract approved since March. The new two-year contract will last through June of 2015, and features no salary increases for teachers during that time. It also lacks a risk-sharing agreement, which negotiator Tom White says is because the union does not trust the board enough to enter into such an agreement. Before the contract passed, Trustee Mike Moloney made a motion to include some unexpected language, including a risk-sharing agreement. This was supported by Trustee Deborah McCormick, but received no other votes, and so did not pass. In the end, the board members who could vote on the contract all approved it as originally presented, except for McCormick. She said in her closing statement that she felt a better deal could be reached for teachers. Superintendent Ron Wilson says the deal is good, but not quite as lucrative as the one that was shot down by a minority of the board in March. In his closing statements, however, Board President Mike Witt said there had been misconduct among board members that needed to be addressed. He said he would be exploring the option of forming an ad hoc committee to investigate whether to censure Trustees Moloney and Doug Moore. Witt says the two men, along with White, became aware of changes in price between two health insurance provider options in December, but chose to keep the information from the board. Moloney says he was asked to keep the new prices quiet by White, who initially believed the jump in price to be an error by the insurance provider. White says this is true, but he regrets not bringing the information forward sooner. (TD/JK)
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