1. David Swantner & Clara Bennion, Camdenton R-III School District
HOW TO APPROACH AND WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND SCHOOL BOARD
David Swantner &
Clara Bennion,
Camdenton R-III School District

2. Introductions David Swantner Clara Bennion
CTA President, Camdenton R-III School District
TAC (Teacher’s Association of Camdenton) President
High School Science Teacher
Clara Bennion
Salary Committee Chair, CTA and TAC, Camdenton R-III School District

3. Main Ideas What is a Salary Committee?
Why should you have a Salary Committee?
With who should you meet and negotiate?
How should the Salary Committee prepare?
What is the time line for negotiations?
What negotiating strategies can you expect?
What does the negotiation process look like?

4. What is a Salary Committee?
Group of employees who negotiate salary and benefits for all district employees
Certified staff
Classified staff
You should have representation from all certified staff.
Per building or by elementary/secondary level

5. Why should you have a Salary Committee?
If the committee is well-staffed, it is an accurate representation of all certified/classified staff in the district.
The Salary Committee can be a unified voice for all certified/classified staff.
It provides a collaborative forum for discussion between administration and staff.

6. With who should you meet and negotiate?
Salary Committee
Administration representative
Superintendent
Board member representatives (2)
Not always an option, but a great way to increase the understanding of the proposal.

7. How should the Salary Committee prepare?
Conduct a survey of your staff.
What is important to them? Salary schedule/raises, insurance, paid leave, tuition reimbursement, morale-boosting opportunities, other district concerns
Attend your regional MSTA Salary Workshops.
Provide district-specific financial information.
Review financial information with superintendent.
Ideally, this will be done during your Nov.-Feb. meetings.

8. What is the timeline for negotiations?
November
First meeting with administration/board members
December, January, February
Meetings and dialogue continue
End of February – beginning of March
Draft proposal
March
Finalize proposal
Submit working proposal to Superintendent and Board
Present final, formal proposal for review at Board Meeting

9. What negotiating strategies can you expect?
Fait accompli
Standard practice
Deadline
Decoy
Faking withdrawal
Good guy/bad guy
Limited authority
Salami

10. What does the negotiation process look like?
Five steps of negotiation from “Negotiating for a Win-Win Outcome” by Thomas Sattler and Carol Doniek
Get to know the other side
Share objectives
Share the issues and discuss any areas of disagreement or conflict.
Expect and adapt to change throughout the meetings.
Place the final, agreed-upon terms in a written document.

12. Questions?

13. Contact Info
David Swantner
Clara Bennion