Juneau School Board ratifies new teachers’ contract

The Juneau School Board during its regular meeting on Nov. 10, 2015. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
The Juneau School Board during its regular meeting Tuesday. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)

Juneau teachers are getting a 2 percent salary increase. On Tuesday night, the Juneau School Board approved the negotiated contract between the school district and the teachers’ union.

Negotiations began in January. The Juneau School District and the Juneau Education Association reached a tentative agreement in mid-October and the teachers’ union voted to approve it at the end of the month. The board approval was the final step.

The 2 percent raise includes a 1 percent permanent salary schedule increase and a 1 percent temporary increase. The negotiated agreement also includes a more competitive starting pay for specialist positions and compensating some teachers for extra meeting hours at a rate of about $33 an hour.

The estimated fiscal impact of the contract for this budget year is about $650,000. This will come out of budget savings from the general operating fund.

The Juneau School Board unanimously ratified the contract. Board vice president Andi Story said the district has an outstanding teaching staff.

“They work really hard for our kids. They’re very dedicated and we’re very grateful for them. We wouldn’t be much without them. They’re the ones who are in front of our kids each day, our most valuable resources,” Story said.

Board member Emil Mackey said he’s worried about class sizes getting bigger as budgets get smaller.

“I’m extremely concerned that we’re on a non-sustainable path that is not good for kids, is not good for the teachers, is not good for the district. And in the future negotiation, I really hope we collaborate on getting those class sizes down,” Mackey said.

Juneau Education Association President Dirk Miller said neither side got everything they wanted, but the teachers’ union is happy. He said the collaborative bargaining method worked out well.

“I guess the difference between this and other negotiations is, I brought pie to the last bargaining team meeting and we all talked and it was congenial,” Miller said. “This was a nice path and it led to a resolution of something that is important for all of us.”

For future contract negotiations, both the district and the teachers’ union want equity in teacher preparation time, which currently varies across grade levels. The district also wants to explore the possibility of a seven-period high school day, as opposed to the current six-period day, which would allow students more opportunities to earn credits toward graduation.

This is a one-year contract. It’s retroactive to July 1 and goes through June 30 of next year.

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