Creating a qualified economic offer for school district professional employees in the arbitration process and school board selection of the group health benefits provider for school district employees

Under this bill, this process does not apply to a dispute over economic issues involving a collective bargaining unit consisting of school district professional employees if WERC determines that the school district has submitted a qualified economic offer (QEO). A QEO consists of a proposal by a school district to its represented employees to increase the average salary and fringe benefits by a certain amount. The amount is the product that results from multiplying the average amount the school district spends on salary and fringe benefits in the current school year by the statewide per pupil revenue limit adjustment divided by the statewide average base revenue per pupil, as calculated by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). To determine the statewide average base revenue per pupil, DPI must first determine the base revenue per pupil for each school district by dividing the sum of general school aids and property taxes received by the district by the district's enrollment. DPI must certify the amount calculated as required in the bill to WERC by January 1, 2011, and biennially thereafter. For the certification due to WERC by January 1, 2011, the department must use $275 for the per pupil revenue limit adjustment. This bill requires school district professional employees to be placed in a collective bargaining unit that is separate from the units of other school district employees and requires collective bargaining agreements covering school district professional employees to be for a term of two years. The bill also creates a cap on salary and fringe benefit annual increases for all nonrepresented school district professional employees that results in the increases being identical to represented school district professional employees.

Beginning in May 2011, and annually thereafter, this bill directs DPI, the Department of Administration, and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau jointly to determine the amount necessary to appropriate as general school aids in the following fiscal year to pay for the following portion of public school costs:

1. For the 2011-12 school year, 65.28 percent.

2. For the 2012-13 school year, 65.56 percent.

3. For the 2013-14 school year, 65.84 percent.

4. For the 2014-15 school year, 66.12 percent.

5. For the 2015-16 school year, 66.40 percent.

6. For the 2016-17 school year, two-thirds.

The bill directs the Joint Committee on Finance to determine the amount appropriated as general school aids for the 2012-13 fiscal year and biennially thereafter.

Current law requires each school board, prior to the selection of any group health care benefits provider for school district employees, to solicit sealed bids for the provision of the benefits. Current law also authorizes a school board to offer its employees a health care coverage plan through a program offered by the Group Insurance Board (GIB).

This bill directs the school board to select the group health care benefits provider that is the lowest qualified responsible bidder unless the school board offers its employees a health care coverage plan through a program offered by the GIB.

The bill provides that the selection of the provider and the impact of that selection on the wages, hours, or conditions of employment are prohibited subjects of collective bargaining.