The Whitefish School District Board of

Trustees last week voted to accept a proposal from the Whitefish

Education Association to extend the teacher union’s current

contract without any changes.

Recognizing the budget challenges faced

by the district, the Whitefish teachers offered to pay any

insurance increases and not ask for a raise. The offer was approved

by WEA members in February.

“It is a sacrifice the hard-working

teachers of Whitefish School District are willing to make,”

Whitefish Education Association president Kelly Haverlandt said.

“We all want to do our part to help the district.”

The March 8 school board vote was 5-1

in favor of accepting the WEA offer. Trustee Eric Hosek voted

against accepting the offer.

Teachers who qualify will still be able

to advance on the salary schedule based on their years with the

district and college credits they’ve earned. Nearly half of the

staff, however, does not qualify for such movement and will see no

increase in salary and likely see a reduction in take-home pay due

to insurance premium increases, Haverlandt said.

The 2011-2012 insurance rates will not

be known until mid-May. Many teachers saw a reduction in their

take-home pay this past school year due to a jump in insurance

premiums of more than $200, Haverlandt said.

The 2.5 percent raise in base pay was

not enough to cover the increase, she said.

Whitefish school superintendent Jerry

House said the district is grateful for the generous offer. He

explained that the teachers, administrators, board and support

staff are working together to address budget concerns and to

minimize the impact of reductions on students.