Opinion ID: 2087409
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: cir proceedings following remand

Text: Upon remand, the issue presented to the CIR was whether the deviation clause in question was prevalent. The language of that clause reads as follows: The Board reserves the right to deviate from the agreement if it becomes necessary to hire teachers for a particular position. This same language had been included as a negotiated term in the parties' 2001-02 agreement. The District contended that because four of the seven schools in its array allowed deviation from the salary schedule, albeit under varying circumstances, deviation was prevalent. In essence, the District suggested that deviation be defined broadly. The Association, however, argued that deviation should be defined more narrowly to reflect the distinction between the open-ended deviation proposed by the District and defined deviation. Because open-ended deviation clauses were not prevalent in the array selected by the CIR, the Association asserted that the District's proposed clause should not be included in the parties' contract. The CIR found for the Association. In so finding, the CIR defined deviation to include only those clauses that permit[ed] a departure from the bargained for and agreed upon contract, upon defined criteria and/or specific standards, that have been bargained for and agreed upon by the parties. In conducting its prevalency analysis, the CIR was presented with the following deviation language as quoted from the other schools' contracts in the District's array. Burwell: In the event that a new teacher cannot be hired on the basis of the adopted schedule and it is necessary to raise the base, all the teachers in the system shall be placed on the new schedule and salaries adjusted accordingly. If a position has not been filled by August 1, however, the Board reserves the right to exceed the schedule for the new teacher only if it is necessary to do so to fill the position. Garden County: The salary schedule shall not be construed as being contractual and no teacher employed by the district shall have claims, demands, or course of action of [sic] reason of the provisions. Furthermore, the Board reserves the right to make necessary adjustments in order to meet emergencies which may arise. Gordon: No deviation language in contract. Rock County: New Graduates may be placed on Step Two if the number of applicants is one. Rushville: No deviation language in contract. Thedford: Although the Board of Education will endeavor to abide by the Salary Schedule in every instance in employing and reemploying teachers, it does reserve the right to depart from the schedule when it deems the best interest of the school may be served by doing so. West Holt: The district retains the authority to provide extra compensation for special assigned work and requested services. The CIR found that only Rock County met its definition of deviation in the context of a school wage case. As only one of the seven schools in the District's array allowed deviation which met the CIR's definition, the CIR concluded that deviation was not prevalent. The CIR also noted that the District's proposed deviation clause was not sufficiently similar to the deviation clauses included in the negotiated agreements of the other schools in the array. As such, the CIR ordered the deviation clause eliminated from the 2002-03 contract. The District now appeals the CIR's determination.