Last week, members of the Atlantic Education Association met with a team representing the District’s administration, and proposed a 6.9% salary package increase for the 2012-2013 Contract Year. Monday afternoon, those same entities met again, to hear the District’s opening proposal during the Collective Bargaining process. The Atlantic School District’s counter to last week’s salary and benefit proposal included no increase in the base salary rate, which was markedly different than the 5 percent increase in base pay presented by the union.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Mike Amstein proposed several changes in language to the current contract. Amstein says the proposed changes in particular, focused on parts of the contract that either are “permissive,” with no history of how the language was presented, or simply needed clarification. He says the proposed contract is not as long as the current version, and is more understandable.

Some of the language which was considered redundant, or “permissive,” were included in the following sections of the contract: Employee hours; Vacations and Holidays; Leaves; Transfer procedures; Staff reduction procedures; Professional Development; Salaries and Benefits; and Insurance. The Education Association will review the proposed language changes and meet again, most likely next week, with District officials. Both sides are still waiting for the district’s insurance rates to become known, before they can proceed with further, meaningful talks on salaries and benefits packages.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a Red Oak man was arrested this (Tuesday) morning on charges of Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of marijuana. Authorities say 24-year old Timothy James Stewart was taken into custody at around 3:40-a.m..  Stewart was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on full bond.

The route for next summer’s RAGBRAI will be announced this weekend. RAGBRAI director T.J. Juskiewicz says the eight overnight towns for the annual bicycle ride across the state will be revealed Saturday night during an event at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines. This isn’t the first time RAGBRAI officials have held a special “route announcement party.” Juskiewicz says this is the third year for the event and the previous two years were “fantastically attended.” The event is scheduled on the same day as the Iowa Bicycle Summit and Expo – held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Iowa Events Center. The RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party runs from 8-11 p.m. The bicycle expo is free, but tickets to the RAGBRAI announcement are $30.

“The event benefits the Iowa Bicycle Coalition,” Juskiewicz said. The party will include a live band, door prizes, food and drinks. Video of the event will also be carried live on the Des Moines Register’s website. This will be the 40th year for RAGBRAI.”We’re planning some big stuff,” Juskiewicz said of the event’s 40th anniversary. “After the route comes out, we’ll clear up some of that stuff, but we’re looking forward to one thing at a time.” RAGBRAI XL will be held July 22-28. Bicyclists traditionally start the trip with their rear tire in the Missouri River and end the week-long journey with their front tire entering the Mississippi River. Juskiewicz refused to provide any clues to this year’s route. “It’ll be in Iowa,” Juskiewicz said. RAGBRAI typically draws 10,000 bicyclists from around the country and outside the U.S. Last year’s event began July 24^th in Glenwood, and included overnight stops in Atlantic, Carroll and Boone, in western Iowa.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)