D91 teachers votes not to ratify contract; issue vote of no confidence in Superintendent and Finance Director

IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Education Association (IFEA) voted not to ratify nan teachers’ 2024-2025 maestro statement pinch Idaho Falls School District 91 Wednesday day and issued votes of nary assurance successful 2 of nan district’s apical officials.

According to IFEA President Julie Nawrocki, 67% of members voted against ratifying nan teacher’s statement during nan gathering held astatine Taylorview Middle School’s auditorium. Thirty-one percent were successful favour pinch nan remainder abstaining.

“We ever want to get nan champion statement we can. We want to get nan champion teachers. We want to support nan champion teachers for our students,” she said. “To person everybody person our backs and want to still support america was very encouraging.”

The determination not to ratify nan statement was followed by chat astir whether aliases not to rumor a ballot of nary assurance successful Idaho Falls Superintendent Karla LaOrange and Director of Finance Lanell Farmer.

Ultimately, 97% of respondents recommended a ballot of nary assurance successful Farmer, while 58% voted for a ballot of nary assurance successful LaOrange.

In consequence to nan votes, LaOrange said, “The territory will proceed to activity pinch our teachers, our students, parents and unit to supply an fantabulous acquisition for each of nan children who be schoolhouse successful District 91. We’ve accomplished a batch together pinch nan committee this year, and we’re going to proceed to decorativeness beardown and scheme and hole for adjacent schoolhouse year.”

The decisions by nan Idaho Falls Education Association followed 4 hours of negotiations Tuesday successful which nan teachers’ and administration’s speech teams had tentatively agreed to a 1.8% guidelines net increase.

According to nan district, nan projected package would person “included nan pursuing financial agreements for certificated staff:

• “Average raise of $2,632.50
• “Salary increases scope from $1,299 to $4,205, which includes steps.
• “This is simply a 1.8% to 7.31% (raise) depending connected placement connected nan profession ladder.
• “$300 one-time costs for full-time unit and $150 for part-time staff
• “$150,000 dedicated to continuing activity stipends
• “Increase successful co-curricular and extra-curricular stipends.”

According to IFEA lead negotiator Jake Snarr, nan territory would person saved $1.992 cardinal pinch nan caller statement compared to 2023-2024, including security savings from unit reductions.

IFEA lead negotiator Jake Snarr presents nan full costs associated pinch nan 2024-2025 negotiated maestro contract.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Nawrocki said, “I cognize that nan money is there. But I’m going to show you that I americium 100% definite that they are not going to springiness america much money.”

She mentioned that connected Tuesday, teachers astatine Bonneville Joint School District 93 settled for a 1.8% raise while Jefferson and West Jefferson districts received a 1% bump.

However, she said District 91’s first connection of a salary frost really “blindsided and offended” its teachers.

After nan determination not to ratify nan statement was made public, LaOrange issued a connection Tuesday evening.

“The District and nan Board will proceed to activity pinch nan Teachers Association to bring an statement for their approval,” she wrote. “Throughout this schoolhouse year, nan Board and Teachers Association teams person collaborated to support teachers successful nan important activity of helping each students learn. We look guardant to coming to a resolution.”

At this stage, nan territory and teacher’s relation look 3 options. They tin return to negotiations, scope an impasse aliases determine to enlist a national mediator.

Snarr said negotiations are apt to continue.

“At this point, nan relation does not person a statement for adjacent year,” he said. “That intends that we still person activity to do to discuss a amended maestro statement for our members of our relation and nan different unit that applies to. We will apt spell backmost to nan array and proceed to activity complete nan summertime and effort to get a statement successful clip for erstwhile nan teachers return successful nan fall.”

Idaho Falls Education Association President Julie Nawrocki, left, discusses nan projected maestro statement Wednesday astatine Taylorview Middle School.