Juneau teachers reject district’s arbitration plans, stage mock walkout on school board
- Jasz Garrett
- Nov 20, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Threat by about 70 educators comes as disputes remain unresolved after nine months of contract negotiations; educators say they’re not yet ready to strike
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
A previous version of this story inaccurately claimed state law prohibits the school board from participating in the negotiation process based on previous interviews with board members. A correction has been made to clarify their role.
Teachers frustrated with a months-long stalemate in contract negotiations with the Juneau School District staged a mock walkout during a school board meeting Tuesday night.
"If you do not choose to respect your educators, this is what will happen," said Kelley Harvey, a JSD elementary school teacher for the last 27 years.
She and about 70 of her colleagues walked past the Juneau Board of Education and superintendent. Their exit left the Thunder Mountain Middle School library nearly empty.
The district and Juneau Education Association, which represents about 275 local teachers and certified staff, have been at an impasse since July. Also still unresolved is a new contract for Juneau Education Support Staff's estimated 250 employees.
Contract negotiations began on Feb. 12. In May, Chris Heidemann, former JEA president, said his goal was to reach an agreement before the end of the school year. The agreement between the district and the teachers' association union expired on June 30.
"You know that you have teachers who will not be able to remain in Juneau given the current salary insurance package," Harvey said. "You know many of your teachers are taking home less money than they did last year. And you know that your teachers have had to make decisions between keeping health insurance for their families and being able to pay for their housing and put food on the table."
The key disputes between JEA and JSD include the salary insurance package Harvey referenced, as well as preparation time for educators, such as lesson planning, data analysis, grading, research, and meetings with parents or colleagues.
The district announced Nov. 6 it is initiating arbitration proceedings because of the failure of mediation sessions to resolve the situation.
"It is, of course, always preferable to reach a voluntary agreement," the district's website states. "The District team remains committed to keeping communication open and remains willing to continue meeting in the hopes a successor agreement will soon be reached."
The teachers' union website stated on Nov. 10 the decision was made without consulting its negotiation team or anyone within JEA. State law requires both sides to agree on an arbitrator and the sides must meet at least once before taking further action. Once 90 days have passed after selecting an arbitrator, teachers could strike.
But Harvey, co-chair of the union's negotiations support team, said despite Tuesday's walkout during the meeting, JEA does not plan to strike. Unlike the district, she said JEA is not ready to initiate arbitration.
"Arbitration is when mediation has failed and you're deadlocked and you're not getting anywhere," she said. "We met three times with our mediator and then our mediator was furloughed. That process hasn't ended. We had a proposal ready to present when they made that (Nov. 6) announcement."
Rebecca Watts, a teacher at Sayéik Gastineau Community School, said the lack of a supportive workplace makes it even harder to retain and attract "the dedicated educators our students deserve."
"How can we say we value collaboration while making major decisions behind closed doors?" she said. "Moving arbitration without mutual agreement shows a lack of true partnership."
JEA's best offer in July sought an average 4.25% raise in a one-year contract, while the district offered about a 3% increase. This month, the district's last best offer remained the same, while JEA's is more costly than when the parties reached an impasse — approximately $12 million over two years, up from $1.84 million for one year.
Harvey said a major concern of hers is recruiting new teachers. In an interview, she said she earns $120 less than last year due to higher insurance rates. Last month, teachers testified that steep premium hikes have left some of them $800 worse off each month.
One of those teachers was Maggie Knull, a teacher at Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé.
"Here I am, taking care of a commercial fisherman husband," she said. "I can't just not have insurance, right? I have difficult medical needs. I need insurance."
Superintendent Frank Hauser has stated the district is providing a contractedly agreed-upon contribution, currently paying just under $20,000 annually for every teacher who is at least half-time to the health care insurance provider selected by JEA. The current budget projects $4.5 million in district funds to meet this obligation.
Harvey said the district's stance is "a bit of a cop out." She said the union has looked for other healthcare providers.
"Nationally, insurance premiums are going up exponentially," she said. "Nationally, everybody's dealing with this. We don't have some amazing Cadillac insurance provider. Insurance for everybody is going up. We have looked at insurance through the city and borough. We have looked at different districts, and what insurance are they using? It's comparable. We don't have a really expensive insurance policy. They're basically not acknowledging that insurance is going through the roof."
In the last best offer, JSD is offering to pay $1,664 per month, which is $10 more than its current health insurance payment — and the same amount as previous offers. JEA is seeking $1,679 per month for the '25-26 school year — $25 less than what the union asked for in July — and $1,750 for the '26-27 school year.
"Our members have said, 'I can't live here anymore, I have to have insurance for my family,''" Harvey said. "It is not an NEA (National Education Association) or our insurance provider sole issue. And in the last 10 years for insurance, they've (JSD) come up $85 in 10 years. Five years, we did not even take an increase."
JEA is a local affiliate of the National Education Association Alaska and is insured through the Public Employee Health Trust.
JSD has said 90% of its budget goes to salaries and benefits, and cited uncertainty around state education funding as an obstacle. Harvey said educators do not have control over Juneau's high cost of living and the district is "simply not reflecting that cost of living increase."
"I won't be here forever. I will be retiring soon," Harvey said. "Getting new teachers — I could not live here now, being the new teacher I was."
She said that's because a brand new teacher can't live in Juneau on the district's proposed beginning teacher salary.
"You have got to make it desirable to be here — not just desirable, but possible," she said.
Michelle Nakamura, a parent in the district, testified that she stands by every teacher and staff member.
"Staff shortages are happening in every building and the people who are still here are carrying the weight of that every single day," she said. "The teachers who have stayed are covering more responsibilities than ever. They're managing behaviors without adequate para support, absorbing extra duties and holding together classrooms that should have more adults than them."
In her testimony on Tuesday, longtime teacher Amy Lloyd told the school board members dozens of their most experienced educators are waiting to see if they should stay. Last month, testimonies claimed the district risks losing a third of its already stretched staff.
"I urge you to tell your team to accept our best last offer," Lloyd said.
Ellen Canapary, who has taught in Juneau for 27 years, asked the board members if they could influence the JSD negotiating team. Board members could not respond to public testimonies because contract negotiations were not on the agenda.
School board members previously told the Independent through interviews and claimed in 2025 election forums that they are legally prohibited from participating in the negotiation process under state law. However, "no Board policy prohibits Board members from being on the bargaining team. It is simply Board practice to not have a member on the team," said Emily Wright, a municipal attorney with the City and Borough of Juneau. She wrote in an email that this is consistent with other school districts throughout the state. Hauser confirmed this through another email.
"As Emily mentioned, it is not Board practice to have a member on the team specified in the ground rules, but Board Policy doesn't preclude it," he wrote.
Neither board members nor Hauser are identified as participatory team members in the ground rules set at the onset of the current negotiations and agreed to by all parties, according to the superintendent.
"The Board 'strictly construe[s] the scope of negotiations,' establishes the monetary parameters, and directs its designated representatives from the onset. The final step in the adoption of a successor agreement is a Board vote in a publicly noticed Board meeting," Hauser wrote.
The school board went into executive session at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the collective bargaining agreement, with an adjournment deadline of midnight. The next meeting between the union and the district is scheduled for Nov. 25, according to JEA's website. According to the district's website, the board is legally and ethically prohibited from discussing or negotiating the terms of a contract outside the established bargaining process, as it is forbidden for anyone in negotiations to do so.
"Members of the school board are committed to a fair and respectful bargaining process," the district's website states. "We value our teachers and the vital role they—and all staff—play in student success, and we remain committed to working through the formal negotiation process to reach a fiscally responsible and sustainable agreement."
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
