The Juneau School District and the teachers union reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Saturday.
The Juneau Education Association is the district’s largest employee association, representing about 355 teachers and certified staff.
Last time the two groups reached an agreement, it was just for one year. This contract, if ratified, would be for three years, said spokesperson for the six-member JEA negotiation team Patrick Roach.
“Around the district we’re losing teachers, which is very difficult to see. PTR — pupil-teacher ratio — is going up, so that was always in everyone’s mind. The Legislature has been unpredictable with education finding in the past few years, so I think the stability of a three-year contract will be nice. It allows both the union and the district to reorganize itself, look to the future and figure out where to go next,” he said.
The current contract ends this school year. The new one, if ratified, would begin with the next school year in August.
Details of the contract can’t be released until its members have seen the tentative contract. Roach said it will hopefully be released to its membership on Friday. JEA members are required to have the contract for seven days before voting to approve it.
“To get quorum, we need a simple majority of membership. To pass it, we need a simple majority of whoever shows up, which could be challenging because it’s the end of the year. We’re hoping to get everyone together and put this to bed before the summer,” Roach said.
He called the negotiation process “cooperative.”
“It felt like we were working toward a common goal, that it was kind of one of those ‘all hands on deck’ moments where we all realized that not just our district but every district is struggling right now in this economic atmosphere. And instead of it being adversarial where each side is trying to get what it can get, it was like we were coming together — what’s best for kids, what’s best for the school district and what’s right for teachers,” he said.
Ted VanBronkhorst, the district’s director of human resources, agreed.
“The two teams worked well together and were able to come to a fair agreement that stays within our fiscal constraints and recognizes the excellent work of our teachers in the district,” he said.
• Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.
