IDAHO FALLS — Community members and teachers from Idaho Falls School District 91 gathered Tuesday outside the district office to rally over ongoing contract negotiations.
Since April, the district and the Idaho Falls Education Association, a teachers’ union, have been meeting to negotiate new contracts for the 2025-2026 school year, which starts on Aug. 21.
Last year, the district and the teachers’ union met and ratified a teacher’s contract on June 24 after weeks of tense negotiations, which saw members of the union issue a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Karla LaOrange and Director of Finance Lanell Farmer.
On Monday, the IFEA and District 91, represented by attorney Amy White, met and discussed the financials of the new contract. It was the first time since the start of the negotiation process that both groups have submitted proposals regarding the salary schedule.
In the afternoon, both groups issued statements regarding the negotiation talks and the current status regarding the financial proposals.
According to the district, the financials changed in negotiations compared to the previous year. The district presented the IFEA with its Board of Trustees-approved budget for the upcoming school year, totaling $31,470,918, with an additional $3.8 million, for a total of $35,344,676.
“In a show of good faith and flexibility, the Board passed the full $35,344,676 (both state and levy funds) to the IFEA negotiations team and asked them to allocate those funds into the salary schedule,” according to District 91’s statement.
However, IFEA found an issue with this decision due to the funds being allocated towards the salary schedule. In its statement, financial proposals often include additional items, such as Article 12, which addresses salary schedules for extracurricular and co-curricular activities, or memoranda of understanding that include leadership stipends or one-time payments.
“Asking the IFEA to bargain a compensation package based on $35.3 million would mean that we are bargaining against ourselves, as that amount is barely enough to cover the minimum increases to salaries required by the state, nonetheless the ofter financial items in the contract,” according to IFEA’s statement.
Additionally, the union had concerns about whether the amount allocated from the supplementary levy, which was increased to $8 million, should be included in the salary schedule.
IFEA member Jake Snarr told EastIdahoNews.com that this means the IFEA can’t go above that limit. For the union, they also negotiate contracts for coaches and stipends.
“This number, this $35.3 million, the district is saying that if we want to use any money for things like purchase stipends or to work for a November bonus, then that’s going to have to come out of the salary,” Snarr said.
LaOrange said the reasoning behind this method was to enable the IFEA to determine what funds the district have and where that money is needed the most.
“The association represents the teachers, and we want them to have that voice, so then they can go ahead and distribute that money the way that they think is most representative of the needs of their teachers and most equitable,” LaOrange said.
Looking at the district’s statement, this year the district faces challenges related to funding and increases, which will require the district to fund salaries in addition to other expenses.
According to District 91’s statement, in May, the district was notified of a 17% increase to its medical insurance. The increase signaled a $1,360,937 increase, meaning the total cost of the district was $12,611,318.
Moreover, the district also sustained a shortfall after considering the state’s allocation for this expense, $9,697,767, meaning it has $2,913,551 to pay.
Last Wednesday, the district was also notified of a withholding from its federal funding, which leaves a shortfall $900,515 from many of its Title Programs, specifically affecting migrant and English-learning students.
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“To help offset these rising costs, the board is drawing approximately $1.988 million from the District’s financial reserves to cover insurance increases and operational expenses. The Board and District fully recognize that the rising costs are not the result of any action or decision made by our dedicated teachers, staff, administrators, or Board members,” according to the district’s statement.
LaOrange told EastIdahoNews.com the district had to make cuts last year to recoup over $4 million that it had overspent for two years.
“It was a painful process to get back in line with revenue. We’re still not 100% there, but we’re really close,” LaOrange said. “That’s on their (Board of Trustees) minds too, and I think sometimes that gets forgotten.”
RELATED | Righting D91’s budget ship: District seeks online input on $4M in cuts
Looking at the proposals, teachers starting on the R1 step saw an increase from $48,332 to $50,252, a $1,920 increase to comply with state requirements on minimums.
In the P1 and AP 1 rungs, which experienced similar increases. In P1, the increase was $2,147, and in AP 1 was an increase of $2,744. These were shared between the district’s and IFEA’s proposals.
However, the focus for the IFEA was on the teachers on the AP 8 rung, which they claim isn’t fully represented under the district’s schedule.
The statement for the union states that teachers under the AP 8 rung, after receiving their loyalty and longevity stipends, make $75,956, which, under the district’s proposal, would increase their pay to $75,960.
“Which is a $4 increase with no stipends. That amounts to just 2 cents a day over the year for approximately 100 of our veteran educators,” according to the IFEA’s statement.
However, Snarr said, while the pay is a component of the whole contract, other items, which are vital to teachers, are also negotiated over the months.
Jess Watrous, president of the IFEA, said that while there are protections for teachers in Idaho Code, once they are included in the contract, they become enforceable and help teachers feel supported.
“Having it in our contract makes it so that we can say, hey, this isn’t happening. How do we problem solve, getting this to be more efficient and more effective, making sure teachers’ needs are being met, to educate our students better,” Watrous said.
Both groups are still negotiating the contract, with District 91 stating it understands the process “can feel uncertain and, at times, frustrating.”
LaOrange told EastIdahoNews.com she’s hopeful the IFEA and the district will have a contract soon, understanding there will be different ideas on how to reach the overall goal of helping students succeed.
“There’s a lot of common ground. The common ground is very centered on kids, and we’re trying to help kids,” LaOrange said. ” I have a lot of confidence in this Board and a lot of confidence in our teachers that we will continue to move things forward for students.”
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