The Juneau School District has reached a tentative agreement on a contract with its teachers union. This comes after more than a year of negotiations that escalated to a successful vote authorizing the union to strike earlier this week.
The two-year agreement covers this school year and the next. In a joint press release, Juneau Education Association President Jeannette Sleppy said she is proud to reach an agreement with the district.
“I truly appreciate the hard work of the bargaining team, our members’ resolve, and the District for their willingness to achieve a result that’s good for students, families, and our hard-working public school employees,” she said.
Juneau School Board President Britteny Cioni-Haywood said in the press release that the board looks forward to the agreement coming before the board for approval.
“The school board is grateful for the work of both teams in reaching a tentative agreement that recognizes our teachers and the value they bring to the classroom every day in support of our students,” she said.
Now, the agreement is awaiting ratification from the union, which includes about 275 people. It will require a majority of voters to approve the ratification. JEA negotiation support co-chair Kelley Harvey said in a text to KTOO that’s expected to happen after spring break, which is next week.
After that, the agreement will head to the school board, which will require two meetings before a vote of approval.
As of Friday evening, the terms of the agreement are being finalized for publication and will be in the meeting packet of the next school board meeting following union ratification.
