POLL: Is Proposed Teachers' Contract a Good Deal for Teachers and Students?

Officials at the Elk Grove Unified School District and its teachers' union are calling an unusual compromise that would provide incentives for employees to stay healthy while keeping the district in the black as it heads into the 2012-2013 school year.

The agreement, which would last through June 2013, includes healthcare cost-sharing in which teachers would pay for 20 percent of their benefits and the district would pick up the remaining 80 percent.

Class sizes would be between 24 and 26 for grades K-3 and 28 for grades 4-6, reversing some but not all of the pink slips the district sent to teachers earlier this month.

Read the full agreement by clicking on the PDF attached to this article.

"Please remember to compare this to the other options available...a strike and an imposed health care cap," reads an update teachers received from the union, the Elk Grove Education Association, Tuesday. "Both would have cost the teachers and the students dearly."

Teachers would have to give up an annual bonus paid from California lottery funds for one more year, a concession sought by the district. But they will pick up additional compensation as furlough days and a freeze on seniority-based salary increases expire this June. They'll also see their work week shrink by 30 minutes.

Health benefits have been one of the biggest sticking points between teachers and the district. Under the tentative agreement, teachers on the most basic health plan would pay about $100 per month for an individual and $300 per month for a family.

Copays for doctors' visits would decrease from $40 to $30, and teachers who meet certain wellness standards—such as exercising regularly—would see their share of premiums decline to 15 percent.

Union president Maggie Ellis said the difference in teachers' health costs between the agreement and the district's original proposal for a spending cap was akin to the difference between buying an economy car and buying four years of college tuition.

"The [cost] will go up much slower than a cap would have done," she said. "Initially, it does feel pretty steep, but considering that our [wage] concessions will go away, it will balance out."

Glen De Graw, associate superintendent of human resources for the district, said EGUSD would put a significant portion of its ending fund balance, about $26 million, towards staffing and the wellness program.

"Over time, we hope we will have fewer people having serious health issues and that will lower our rates," he said.

Readers, do you think the proposed contract is a good deal for teachers, students and the district? Vote in our poll, and tell us in the comments what your relationship is to the district—teacher, parent, etc.