District, Unions Come Together on Contracts

Johnston, Iowa – At a special meeting of the Johnston Board of Education on February 15, board members approved three-year contracts with the Johnston Education Association (JEA) and the Johnston Educator Support Personnel Association (JESPA).

With the trend of minimal and unknown state supplemental aid funding, the three-year contracts for each union group offer financial stability. At the end of the three-year term, the district and the union groups will be subject to the (new) guidelines of the proposed Chapter 20 legislation.

The call to action for the district to finalize the contract was initiated by JEA and JESPA. The employee groups and district have had a long history of working in collaboration to best meet the needs of both sides. This most recent agreement comes at a time when educators around the state question the stability of their positions.

“We value our staff very much,” said Corey Lunn, JCSD Superintendent. “With the three-year agreement in place, teachers and staff can focus on their kids and classrooms without having to worry about their jobs or how the district would react to new Chapter 20 guidelines.

The JEA-Settlement for school year 2017-2018 includes aging of the schedule (step increases for experience), a $400 per employee supplemental payment, an increase of $10/month 403B contribution, no insurance premium increases, and no continuation of the payment for unused sick leave, which is a total package of 1.85 percent. Settlement for both school years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 are 2 percent total packages for each year.

JESPA-Settlement for fiscal year 2017-2018 includes aging of the schedule (step increases for experience) and no insurance premium increases for a .6 percent total package. Settlement for both fiscal years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 are 2 percent total packages for each year.

“We are pleased to, once again, work with JEA and JESPA to continue providing an excellent learning environment for our students and employees,” said Brad Ortmeier, board vice president.