The Ann Arbor Public Schools Board and teachers union have reached an agreement, just before the start of the 2015-2016 school year slated to begin on Tuesday, September 8th.
Unanimous Ratification
Teachers in the Ann Arbor Public Schools are now under contract through the upcoming academic year. The Board of Education Wednesday approved the agreement 7 to 0, and that action follows earlier ratification by the union representing district teachers.
The contract provides for varying salary increases, dependent on staff, step-level. It also brings the contract into compliance with state school reform legislation.
The Educators and Administration Behind the Scenes
Teachers cheered after the board approved the agreement unanimously. The agreement will give all teachers a raise and extend their contract until June 30th of 2016.
The new agreement complies with the Michigan school reform laws. But Linda Carter, the president of the Ann Arbor Education Association told WEMU that some teachers still have concerns and that it wasn't all about the money:
"It's not so much about the pay raise, but making sure the working conditions were appropriate. We didn't go in to teaching to be rich. We went in to teaching because we love kids; we love our subject areas." - Linda Carter President of the Ann Arbor Education Association.
The head of the Ann Arbor school district, Jeanice Swift says she is pleased that a new contract agreement has been approved by the teachers union and that she was grateful to members of both negotiating teams who invested significant time over this summer to work through the process.
Swift said, "During the course of the summer, we were able to collaborate on a school calendar, school day times, and a collective bargaining agreement for the 2015-16 school year."
Moving Forward
All teachers will get raises and their contracts will be extended to June 30th of 2016. Negotiations on a longer-term contract between district administration and the Ann Arbor Education Association will begin in January.
