More than 125 teachers and nurses attended the April 15 Fox C-6 School District Board of Education meeting to show unity as they try to negotiate a new contract with the district.
Before the meeting started, some of those teachers and nurses stood near Jeffco Boulevard outside the Fox C-6 Service Center in Arnold, with many holding signs asking for fair wages. Numerous people honked their horns as they drove past the group.
“We want to show support for our teachers and nurses, who are at the bargaining table right now, to get a fair contract,” said James Mueller, Missouri National Education Association UniServ director and a former Fox Middle School American history teacher.
Fox C-6 officials have been meeting with the Fox Education Association, which is part of the Missouri NEA, since January to negotiate a new contract, according to an April 7 letter Superintendent Paul Fregeau sent to district staff members.
The district’s current three-year agreement with the teachers ends July 1. The deal struck in March 2022 raised teachers’ salaries by an average of 6.53 percent for the 2022-2023 school year, an average of 2.35 percent for the 2023-2024 school year and 2.17 percent this school year, according to district information provided three years ago.
Proposed wages
On March 24, the district proposed an average raise for teachers of 5 percent for the first year of a new agreement and an average of 6 percent in the second year, Fregeau said in his letter to staff.
According to that letter, if those pay raises were approved, it would make the minimum salary at Fox C-6 the fourth highest compared to similar school districts in the region, particularly the Ferguson-Florissant, Fort Zumwalt, Francis Howell, Hazelwood, Lindbergh, Mehlville, Northwest and Parkway school districts. The letter also said the maximum salary at Fox C-6 would be the third highest among those districts.
Three teachers and a nurse spoke at the April 15 meeting and emphasized the importance of providing raises for veteran employees.
Fregeau’s letter to the staff said that while on average teachers’ salaries would increase by 11 percent over two years, the salaries for newer teachers would rise by approximately 16 percent over those two years.
The current annual salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree at Fox C-6 is $44,027. Teachers with a master’s degree in their 15th year are paid a $65,846 salary, and teachers at the top of the salary schedule, those in their 30th year who have a doctorate are paid a salary of $103,110, according to district documents.
“Veteran teachers are not asking to be made wealthy,” Lone Dell Elementary School fifth grade teacher Krista Hooper told the board. “We are simply asking to be valued, to be fully compensated for the decades we have given to this district, to our students and to the community. Experience matters, and retaining experienced educators isn’t a luxury; it is a necessity if we want to uphold the standards Fox has always stood for.”
Fox Middle School librarian Bridget Dohm told the board she understands the need to increase newer teachers’ salaries, but she wants district officials to remember the contributions of veteran teachers.
“We are the ones who have made education our life’s mission, pouring our hearts into every classroom year after year,” she said. “As you move forward with these decisions, I respectfully urge you to remember the teachers who have stayed, who have served and continue to give their all to the Fox district.”
Mary Wagner, a nurse at the Don Earl Early Childhood Center, told the board about the importance of retaining nurses in the school district.
“Fox has seen nearly 57 percent nurse turnover in the past three years,” she said. “Stabilizing the work force allows us to better support students with chronic conditions, respond to health issues promptly and to address mental health needs.”
Negotiations
Mueller, who is part of the Fox EA negotiating team, said tentative agreements have been reached on several issues, but a handful of issues are still being discussed.
“We are still looking to come to a resolution for salary and benefits for both groups (teachers and nurses),” he said.
Mueller said the two sides also are discussing working conditions.
He said the Fox EA has 466 members, and the group is negotiating for approximately 875 teachers and other certified staff members, including librarians and counselors, who are expected to work at Fox C-6 next school year.
“We represent all of the (certified staff) and nurses. We are fighting to make sure that teachers are treated fairly and treated with respect,” Mueller said. “A lot of what we are fighting are rights that in a private sector union would be protected by law. For one example, how any employee is able to have a representative of their choosing in a meeting.”
In a joint statement, Fregeau and Kelly Bracht, assistant superintendent of human resources, said the April 7 letter was sent to staff earlier this month to quell rumors and concerns circulating among staff about the status and direction of the negotiations.
Along with stating the district’s proposed average salary increases, Fregeau’s letter said the district would increase its contribution to insurance costs over the next two years, and the district would buy back unused sick days at $90 per day instead of the current $70 per day.
“Negotiations remain ongoing, with the district and Fox EA engaged in productive discussions toward common ground,” the joint statement said. “Since Dr. Fregeau’s communication, the district and Fox EA have exchanged additional ideas and proposals regarding teacher salaries. Specific details about proposed salary schedules continue to evolve as the bargaining process moves forward.”
Mueller said both sides have made concessions that have brought them closer to finalizing a deal, but there is still work to be done.
“I think we are still a ways apart on the issues that are remaining,” he said. “(Negotiations) tend to get somewhat tense once we get to the point where there are just a few sticking points left. That is kind of where we are right now.”
Fregeau and Bracht said in their joint statement that they are committed to reaching an agreement with certified staff and nurses.
“As part of that commitment, the district and Fox EA have enjoyed a productive relationship for many years, collectively finding supports to benefit our students and working through issues that affect our teachers,” they said.