Negotiations

This contract is current and continues through June 30, 2026. 

This contract is current and continues through June 30, 2026.

This contract is current and continues through June 30, 2026.

This contract is current and continues through June 30, 2026. 

Update 6-30-25

On June 23, 2025, the District and the Farmington Education Association-Teachers (FEA-Teachers) continued contract negotiations, focusing on subcommittee reports and the FEA-Teachers' financial proposal.

Subcommittee Progress

Two subcommittees presented their findings, streamlining discussions on key areas:

• National Certifications & Stipends: This subcommittee provided details on the requirements for achieving and maintaining national certifications, including continuing education that extends beyond typical district professional development. Information was also shared regarding the supervision hours required for Speech-Language Pathologists and Social Workers.
• Language Updates: This subcommittee led a comprehensive review of contract language, covering several important clarifications and updates:
  • Preventive Health Insurance Examinations: Clarifying the due date for documentation to receive additional HSA contributions.
  • Sick Leave: Aligning contract language with the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law, eliminating conflicting provisions.
  • FEA President Release Time: Incorporating previously agreed-upon language.
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Discussing eligibility language.
  • Sick Leave Bank: Revising existing provisions.
  • Retiree Insurance Eligibility: Clarifying criteria.

Financial Proposal Discussion

The FEA-Teachers presented their final financial proposal, which included:

• A 5% increase to all cells of the salary schedule for the 2025-2026 school year.
• A 2.5% increase to all cells of the salary schedule for the 2026-2027 school year.
• The withdrawal of all other outstanding FEA-Teachers proposals.

The district estimates this proposal represents a total package cost of 11.39% over the two years, not including anticipated increases to insurance costs in the second year.

Given the District's financial considerations, the district did not accept this proposal. The district is currently preparing a counterproposal, which the district will present at the next scheduled meeting on July 30, 2025. The district also confirmed that language in the counterproposal will include any future salary adjustments will be effective upon the date of a tentative agreement, contingent upon successful ratification.

Update 5-23-25

On May 21, 2025, representatives from the District and Farmington Education Association-Teachers met to continue contract negotiations. During this meeting FEA-Teachers presented topics for negotiation. Those topics focus on:

Teacher’s Rights – including elementary class size targets and middle and high school work schedule availability dates.

Basic Schedules and Rates of Pay – including language granting step increases when the previous contract remains unsettled, an increase in stipends for National Board Certification and National Certificate of Clinical Competency certificates, adjust current language used in defining part-time teachers, increase the hourly rate for required attendance at workshops or curriculum writing outside the duty day from $35/hr to $50/hr, and increase the hourly rate for teachers hired for community education positions that require licensure from $27/hr to $42/hr and positions that do not require licensure from $18/hr to $33/hr.

Group Insurance – increase the district contribution into eligible Health Savings Accounts from $1,000 to $1,320 each year and establish a date in which documentation of a yearly physical must be provided in order to receive an additional $400 district contribution into eligible Health Savings Accounts.

Leaves of Absence – allow part-time teachers to receive front-loaded sick leave at a pro-rated amount, add a clause that allows for sick leave payout to a 403(b) or Health Savings Account upon retirement, provide a 4th personal day to teachers upon reaching 10 years of service instead of the current 19 years of service, increase the number of teachers who may be absent on personal leave from 5% to 10% per day, remove the language requiring teachers to pay the full cost of the substitute teacher when their personal leave has been exhausted and they are absent for personal leave reasons, increase the payout for accumulated personal leave  over the maximum amount from the daily substitute rate ($185) to the calculated daily rate of the teacher, include the language agreed to concerning the calculation of the FEA President release time, increase the amount of paid association leave from 42 days to 50 days, add job protections for part-time teachers at least 0.5 FTE who are not eligible under Family and Medical Leave Act eligibility rules, allow employees to utilize accrued sick leave to supplement Minnesota Paid Leave benefits when they become available starting January 1, 2026 to allow an employee to continue to receive their full rate of pay, requiring teachers to opt-out of participation in the sick leave bank instead of the current opt-in provisions, and reduce eligibility for up to 90 days of sick leave bank days from a five year to a three year period.

Hours of Service – clarify the language concerning flexible learning days, include community education teachers in the paid, duty-free lunch period of not less than 30 minutes and change the rate of pay when a teacher is required to substitute for another teacher when they are not scheduled to teach from $60 to the hourly rate of the teacher.

Severance Pay – reinstatement of the payout of unused sick leave upon retirement, modifying eligibility from year four of employment to hire date and also increasing district matching contributions to a 403(b) up to a maximum lifetime contribution of $50,000.

Retiree Insurance – change the time a surviving spouse shall receive continuous coverage in the event of a retired teacher’s death from six months to twelve months and increase the district contributions and lifetime maximum amount on Post Retirement Health Care Savings Plans.

The full financial implications of these topics have not yet been calculated. The District representatives were provided an opportunity to ask clarifying questions concerning the topics. Subcommittee meetings have been planned for specific focus on Speech Language Pathologist items, Healthcare and Minnesota Paid Leave provisions, as well as recent Minnesota Statute changes that may affect contract language. These subcommittee meetings are tentatively planned to occur the week of June 9-13, the next meeting of full negotiation teams is scheduled for June 23, 2025. FEA-Teachers will bring a full proposal, including proposed increases to the teacher salary schedule at the next meeting. Both groups agree that a timely contract settlement is in the best interests of all involved.


Update 5-13-25

Both groups held the initial meeting on April 30, 2025.  At this meeting the norms for negotiations were established, to include the posting of offers from both sides to this website. The next meeting is scheduled for May 21st, 2025.


Update 3-17-25

On March 6, 2025 the Farmington Education Association - Teachers filed a Notice of Desire to Negotiate the current contract. We anticipate a request for information and will schedule dates to begin negotiations.

The contract is current and continues through June 30, 2025.

Update 6-30-25

On June 26, 2025, the District met with representatives from IUOE Local 70 to continue negotiations on the current contract for Community Education Classroom Support employees. At this meeting, Local 70 presented their financial proposals.

Local 70's proposal included significant financial components across several areas:

• Health Insurance Contributions:
  • A 5% increase to the employer's health insurance contribution for each year of the agreement.
• Wage Increases for Early Learning Educators:
  • A 7% rate of pay increase for the 2025-2026 school year.
  • A 6% rate of pay increase for the 2026-2027 school year.
  • A 5% rate of pay increase for the 2027-2028 school year.
• Wage Increases and Longevity Steps for Kid Connection Instructors:
  • Local 70 proposed rate increases and the addition of longevity steps to the base wage for Kid Connection Instructors, as detailed below:

Kid Connection Instructor Proposed Rates

Service Years	July 1, 2025	July 1, 2026	July 1, 2027
0-5 Years	$20.92	$22.02	$23.18
6-10 Years	$21.95	$23.18	$24.40
10-15 Years	$22.98	$24.19	$25.46
15+ Years	$24.00	$25.26	$26.59

• Wage Increases and Longevity Steps for Early Learning Assistants:
  • A similar proposal was made for Early Learning Assistants, including rate increases and longevity steps:

Early Learning Assistant Proposed Rates

Service Years	July 1, 2025	July 1, 2026	July 1, 2027
0-5 Years	$22.00	$23.16	$24.38
6-10 Years	$23.25	$24.47	$25.76
10-15 Years	$24.00	$25.26	$26.29

• Additional Financial & Leave Proposals:
  • Inclusion of contract language regarding legislature-approved stipend payments.
  • Addition of one (1) day of vacation for employees starting at 15 years of service, with a maximum cap of 25 vacation days at 20 years of service.
  • Requirement that any floating holiday be utilized prior to the use of accrued vacation time.

Local 70's financial proposals for the first two years of the contract (current duration) are estimated by the District to constitute a 15% total package increase (this includes wages, benefits, and other economic items). The District will be preparing a response, with the next negotiation meetings set for July 21st and 24th.


Update 6-17-25

On June 16, 2023 representatives from the district and IUOE Local 70 met to begin negotiations surrounding the contract. The initial meeting did not include any financial items, but centered on a discussion of items from Local 70 representatives.  Topics included training needs, clarity of processes regrading maintaining required staffing ratios, Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) use, and clarification on seniority language. Overall it was a good discussion and identified additional items for future training events and to clarify or include in the employee handbook. The next scheduled session is June 26th, when Local 70 representatives will present a proposal of financial items for district consideration.

Update 3-17-25

On March 7, 2025 the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 70 filed a Notice of Desire to Negotiate the current contract. We will work to fulfill the accompanying request for information and schedule dates to begin negotiations.

The contract is current and continues through June 30, 2025.

Update 6-30-25

On June 25, 2025, the District met with representatives from Local 70, representing our dedicated custodians and grounds employees, to continue contract negotiations.

The District presented a comprehensive counterproposal aimed at modernizing compensation, restructuring job classifications, and enhancing health benefits. Key elements of our proposal included:

• Hourly Wage and Classification Restructure: To better reflect evolving roles and responsibilities, the district proposed a new classification structure with updated hourly rates for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. This includes new classifications for District-Wide Grounds employees, as well as Shift Leads and the Farmington High School (FHS) Grounds Lead.

Classification	Description	7/1/25 Rate	7/1/26 Rate
Level I	PT Custodians, Community-Building Liaison/Custodial Asst	$19.68	$19.68
Level II	Indoor Custodian	$22.90	$23.00
Level III	District Wide Grounds	$23.00	$23.25
Level IV	Shift Lead and FHS Grounds	$23.85	$24.10
Level V	Building and District Wide Grounds Head	$28.00	$29.25
Level VI	Maintenance	$34.39	$34.73

 

• District Health Insurance Contribution Increases: The district proposed significant increases to the District's contribution towards employee health insurance premiums over the next two years:

Coverage	2024-2025 (Current)	2025-2026 (Proposed)	2026-2027 (Proposed)
Single	$8,515	$9,389	$9,624
Two-Party	$14,861	$16,385	$16,794
Family	$14,979	$21,407	$21,942

 

• Contract Language Updates: The district counterproposal also included several key language adjustments to enhance clarity and compliance:
  • Paid Holiday Alignment: Exchanging Good Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday, aligning with state and federal observances.
  • Benefit Accrual: Transitioning from the current front-loading of vacation and sick leave to an accrual system per pay period.
  • Sick Leave Compliance: Deleting sick leave language that conflicts with the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) statute.
  • Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs): Incorporating relevant MOAs into the main contract or removing outdated ones to streamline the agreement.

Financial Impact

The District's current proposal represents a total package cost of 4.5% over the two-year contract. For comparison, the District estimates Local No. 70's proposal to be over 27% during the same period.

A subcommittee meeting is scheduled for July 10th to discuss the feasibility of 4-10 hour workdays during the summer months. Full negotiation meetings are set for July 16th and July 23rd to continue negotiations.

Update 6-13-25
 

On June 11, 2025, representatives from the District and International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 70, representing custodians and grounds employees in the district met to begin negotiations.

During this initial meeting Local 70 presented a series of proposed amendments to the current labor agreement. Those amendments were:

Term of contract – open to a duration of 1-3 years.

Rates of Pay – An increase in base hourly rate of 10% each year of the agreement. Additionally, an increase in Head Custodian hourly rate of $3.00/hr. An increase in shift differential from $0.50/hr to $1.00/hr for 2^nd shift and an increase from $0.75/hr to $1.50/hr for 3^rd shift employees.  These differentials would also remain in place in instances when employees are not working on 2^nd or 3^rd shifts due to temporary changes in schedule. An increase to the on-call amount for potential weekend snow removal from $50 to $200 per weekend. An increase to the stipend for employees with a chemical application license from $0.70/hr to $1.20/hr. An increase to the special compensation for those with a Minnesota Boiler license from $0.35/hr to $1.00/hr for a Special license, from $0.95/hr to $2.00/hr for a Second Class license, from $1.20/hr to $3.00/hr for a First class license, and from $1.45 /hr to $4.00/hr for a Chief boiler license. And also an evaluation of the grounds positions to ensure they are competitive with the local market.

Career Incentive – Increase from the current $0.15/hr for each year of service, up to 9 years for a total possible career incentive of $1.35/hr to $0.25/hr for up to 15 years of service for a total possible career incentive of $3.75/hr.

Uniforms – Increase the uniform allowance from $275 to $400 annually and provide 5 shirts in addition to the allowance.

Sick Leave – language was proposed which would, upon retirement, allow for payment of accumulated sick leave, up to 135 days to be paid 50% in qualified cash retirement benefits and 50% deposited into the retiree’s Post-Retirement Health Care Savings Plan.

Health Savings Account contribution – for employees enrolled in the district’s high-deductible health insurance plan an increase in district contribution to the employee’s health savings account from $1000 annually to $2000 annually for those enrolled in single coverage and $2500 for those enrolled in 2-Party and Family coverage. In addition, an increased district contribution to the employee’s health savings account from $200 to $450 for employees who provide documentation of a preventative health examination with age-appropriate screenings each year.

Insurance continuation – employees who retire after age 59 or become disabled and who have been in the employ of the Farmington School District for at least 10 years, may buy the group hospitalization insurance at the school group rate until the employee is eligible for Medicare. Participation beyond that shall be in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The retired or disabled employee will pay the premium for such coverage to the school district.

Tax Sheltered Annuity contributions – an increase in district match for employees with 0-4 years of service from $250 to $300, 5-7 years of service from $325 to $400, 8-16 years of service from $575 to $600, 17-26 years of service from $825 to $900, and 27+ years of service from $1000 to $1100.

Work schedule – the option to work 10-hour days during summer months and for an 8-hour workday during the remainder of the year. Also, paid time for taking required tests to obtain and maintain licenses such as boiler licenses and chemical applicator licenses.

Local 70 also proposed that the employer contribute $0.05 per hour, for all hours worked, to assist Local 70 in funding the International Union of Operating Engineers Training and Education Center located in Crosby Texas. The contribution from all participating IUOE employers would assist in funding the cost associated with transportation, training, lodging, and all meals while attending training.

The full financial implications of these topics have not yet been calculated. The district will provide a full counterproposal at the next scheduled meeting on June 27^th.

Update 3-17-25

On March 7, 2025 the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 70 filed a Notice of Desire to Negotiate the current contract. We will work to fulfill the accompanying request for information and schedule dates to begin negotiations.

The contract is current and continues through June 30, 2025.