By Lori EhdeLuverne School Board members met at noon Monday to discuss the process of teacher contract negotiations.The offer currently on the table for teachers to consider is an 8.483 percent increase in salaries and benefits over the next two years.Of the total package increase, salaries comprise about half. The rest accounts for health insurance, retirement contributions, and in most cases extra assignments in classes and activities.After two sessions with a mediator, the negotiating committees of the School Board and Luverne Education Association haven’t yet agreed on a contract.The state of Minnesota has imposed a Jan. 17 deadline for school districts to finalize teacher contracts.After that, districts are penalized $25 per pupil for late contracts, which in Luverne would amount to $32,000.At Monday’s meeting, School Board members and administration said they hoped to arrive at a fair contract."We have a good salary schedule here, and the teachers have worked hard to get where they are," said Superintendent Gary Fisher. "The teachers need to be paid well for the job they do."At issue, he said, was arriving at a fair contract that’s fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of the district.On one hand, Luverne could compare its contract offer to that of similar-sized districts statewide. That comparison would include rich Twin Cities suburban school districts with growing student populations.Or, Luverne could compare its offer to that of similar-sized districts in greater Minnesota or Southwest Minnesota.Among districts statewide, the average settlement has been an 8.42 percent salary and benefits increase, and schools Luverne’s size are settling at an average of 8.36 increase.For example, Redwood Valley settled with its teachers on a salary and benefits increase of 7.62 percent over the next two years. Jackson settled at 8.8 percent, Worthington at 6.96 percent and Pipestone at 7.64 percent."It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see we’re right in the range," Fisher said of Luverne’s 8.483 percent offer.Some teachers have argued that many outstate districts like these have budgets in statutory operating debt. Luverne district, they point out, is not in debt, and actually has a fund balance to consider with regard to teacher salaries."That’s the challenge," Fisher said. "Who do we compare ourselves to as far as where we’re at?"The negotiating committee of the School Board includes Cary Radisewitz, Colleen Deutsch and Bill Stegemann. The negotiating committee of the LEA is Doug Dooyema, Dianne Headrick, Jane Cote, Patsy Amborn and Craig Nelson.Amborn said the LEA negotiating team met with Fisher after school Monday in another effort to arrive at a settlement."At that meeting we felt we had come to an agreement where we split the difference between our last offer and the board’s last offer," she said.Amborn said the negotiating team didn’t have a chance to bring that option to its LEA members, because the district instead responded with a counter offer."Right now we haven’t had time to consider this one," Amborn said.Negotiations will continue, and the School Board has scheduled another meeting for Monday, Jan. 16, for what they hope will be to ratify a contract settlement before the Jan. 17 deadline.