INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Education Employment Relations Board on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by Muncie Community Schools in its collective-bargaining dispute with the teachers union.
After a 2½ hour hearing, the board voted unanimously to uphold a state-appointed fact finder's ruling that sided with the teachers, choosing their "last best offer" over that of the school corporation, which sought retroactive pay cuts to July 1, 2015.
IEERB members were admittedly confused by conflicting financial evidence presented by the parties, evidence the board members called "complicated," "very muddled," and "very difficult to understand," .
After the hearing, school Superintendent Steven Baule said of the ruling, "I think it's going to mean we are going to have to make deeper cuts, obviously."
He told The Star Press the school board appealed the fact finder's decision because "if you look at it, we can't continue to afford the health care plan we're on. It's that simple. We can't continue to afford the teacher health plan, and the last best offer from teachers doesn't make any change from that."
School board President Debbie Feick also said IEERB's decision "is going to be costly, very expensive."
During Tuesday's hearing, school corporation attorney William T. Hopkins Jr. called the teachers' health insurance policy one of the finest in the country. For example, a teacher's out-of-pocket expenses on a $1 million claim would total only $500, he said.