Fort Atkinson educators presented a package of meet-and-confer requests to district leaders during a negotiations committee meeting, asking the district to index several pay categories to the Consumer Price Index, update the additive schedule, restore explicit prep-time language in the handbook, create a payout for unused reimbursable absences at separation, and give staff more input on calendar decisions.

The package was introduced by Justin, a high-school staff member representing the association. Justin asked that "the FIA suggests the CPI be applied to each of these positions each year," specifying the change should cover base wages, summer-school pay, curriculum pay and additive-schedule pay so those categories keep pace with cost-of-living increases. Superintendent Rob Abbott asked for clarification: "Are you suggesting actually to CPI or to the amount that's agreed upon through the compensation system?" Justin said he intended the negotiated certified-staff wage increase to be applied to the other pay areas as well.

The association also requested a review and update of the additive schedule to reflect the growing number of in- and out-of-school duties—club adviserships and enrichment activities—that teachers now perform. The group asked the district to form a committee, modeled after the district's 2017 DLAC, to examine extra duties and recommend where additional compensation is warranted.

A separate request asked the district to reinsert language negotiated in the 2012 handbook that defines teachers' prep time as continuous, uninterrupted minutes each day. The association said the language has been omitted from the current handbook and sought its restoration so teachers have guaranteed preparation time.

On midyear salary adjustments, the association proposed prorating midyear increases to reflect the numeric midpoint of a teacher's contract so that staff hired midyear would have that partial year counted in step calculations. Mandy Turnbull, director of human resources, said the district uses a fixed date for years-of-service and midyear adjustments tied to the district calendar, explaining the district currently uses February 1 for those calculations and that the contract year is 187 days.

The association also asked the district to create a payout system for unused reimbursable absences for certified staff when they retire or leave the district; representatives said similar programs exist in other districts and that the proposal has appeared on meet-and-confer agendas for several years.

Finally, Justin requested staff and community opportunities for input on changes such as the calendar, asking that the district gather staff and community feedback and confer with administrators or the school board before decisions are finalized. Participants pointed to ongoing strategic-planning engagement as a positive example of involving staff and community members.

No formal motions or votes were taken during the meeting. Superintendent Rob Abbott and board representatives thanked attendees and said the seven points would be considered and addressed at a later date.