Saline Board of Education approves concessionary contract with SEA

Press Release:

The Saline Board of Education voted to approve a two year contract with the Saline Education Association that calls for wage and benefit concessions.  The contract covers July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2014.  Board President Lisa Slawson stated, “We are pleased that the SEA has stepped to the plate and agreed to significant concessions.  We thank them for helping us avoid painful cuts – this agreements truly helps our students and community.”

Superintendent Scot Graden noted, “This agreement keeps us as a desirable employer, while significantly reducing our costs moving forward.  We focused on resetting our compensation levels in the short term and restructuring costs in the long term.  The combination of resetting and restructuring saves the district $7.5 million in permanent  reduction in our cost of operations. This is an important first step for us to return to a financially stable school district – which is critical for our students, staff and community.”

The budget adopted by the Board of Education on June 26th called for $3.2 million in cuts.  With the new agreement, nearly $2 million in cuts will be avoided.  According to Superintendent Graden “With cooperation from the remaining bargaining units and if the Michigan State Senate takes action on the MPSERS Reform Bill that has already passed the House of Representatives we could avoid staff cuts completely for 2012-2013.  That would be a great outcome for everyone.”

The agreement was reached between Superintendent Graden and SEA President Juan Lauchu.  “Juan came to the table with a sincere interest in helping Saline Area Schools.  He is passionate about the community and his willingness to work out a concessionary agreement reflects his commitment to the students and community.  I look forward to working with Juan as we continue to keep Saline Area Schools as a world-class district.”