Representatives of the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA) and Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) are extending their contract negotiation period. This comes after an agreement wasn’t met in their initial bargaining sessions.
AAEA President Fred Klein says Ann Arbor teachers have been speaking with AAPS officials about the need for competitive wages and compensation for lesson planning time. He says AAPS’s current compromise, which includes more students per classroom and less planning time in exchange for an improved pay raise schedule, is less than favorable.
“Planning time is important to plan really meaningful instruction. A larger class size is way harder for a teacher to individualize instruction for the students that might be struggling, that might need an extra little push.”
AAPS Superintendent Jazz Parks released the following statement to WEMU:
"Ann Arbor Public Schools remains engaged in the interest-based bargaining process with all of our employee groups. We want to provide competitive wages to attract and retain high quality employees while remaining fiscally responsible to preserve the overall long term health of the district.
Until a new contract is reached, our educators and staff remain covered under the terms of the most recent contracts, as required by law. The current AAEA collective bargaining agreement includes provisions for compensation for after school events and clubs.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools will continue bargaining with all employee groups in good faith."
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