UPDATE: School District, Union Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract

The and the teachers have reached a tentative agreement on a two-year contract settlement.  

According to an email from School Board President Kathy Shurilla, the teachers ratified the agreement on Friday after school, and the school board will vote on it at Monday's School Board meeting at 7 p.m. in .

Superintendent Keith Marty said they reached a tentative agreement so the board could implement significant change in the insurance plan for teachers, which is expected to save more than $1 million for the district. If an agreement wasn't reached, Marty said the district wouldn't reap a full year of savings under the new plan.

“The uncertainity in Madison really forced us to move forward,” Marty said. “Madison has caused us to move on our own, but in doing so we have included a lot of the provisions that were outlined in the repair bill.”

Shurilla said provisions of the agreement will help the district erase a $5.1 million budget deficit projected for the 2011-12 school year, and significantly reduce future deficits.  The new contract includes a change in an insurance provider, increased co-pays and deductibles, increased insurance contributions, WRS contribution, expanding unpaid duties, development of a performance based merit pay system in year two, retirement benefit reductions, and more.

Details will be released tomorrow regarding the contract. Check out Menomonee Falls Patch Monday for more information.

"The contract achieves the goals of the Budget Repair Bill and more.  It will change the way we do business in the school district,” Shurilla wrote. “The teachers were very collaborative and willing to make big changes.  The continuing uncertainty at the state level made it necessary for everyone to work together in order to avoid devastating consequences to our school system.”