Teachers union, Juneau School District reach tentative contract agreement
- Mark Sabbatini
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
Pact with 9.25% pay hike over two years must still be OK’d by educators and school board, comes days after JEA members authorized a strike 13 months after start of negotiations
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This is a developing story.
A tentative agreement between the Juneau School District and the union representing local teachers was announced Friday evening, potentially ending 13 months of increasingly contentious negotiations that saw educators vote to authorize a strike earlier this week.
The tentative agreement must be ratified by a majority of members of the Juneau Education Association — which represents about 275 teachers and certified staff — and the Juneau Board of Education.
The agreement includes a cumulative 9.25% pay hike over two years, compared to the 17% had JEA sought in its "last best offer" submitted months ago, said Chris Heidemann, JEA’s former president, in an interview Friday evening.
"I think the thing to keep in mind with those last best offers of the district and JEA is they were made a long time ago, and it's bargaining so you're never going to be ending up with exactly what one side wants versus the other," he said. "And the team, I think, definitely feels like they got the best deal that they could achieve out of out of JSD and I think in the end the feeling was that the financial terms were good enough that we had to take it to a vote of the whole membership, and not just stay the course with where we were at."
The first year of the agreement includes a 3% salary increase plus a one-time 2% payout, with a 6.25% salary increase during the second year, Heidemann said. JEA had sought increases of 8% the first year and 9% the second year, while the district was offering a one-year deal with a 3% increase.
A similar compromise was reached with health insurance contributions, according to Heidemann said. He said JEA prevailed in retaining a top-tier "Step 18" pay classification for senior-most educators the district sought to eliminate, as well as preventing an attempt by the district to reduce prep time for middle school instructors.
The specifics of the agreement, which are dozens of pages long in the proposed versions submitted last year by both sides, are being finalized, according to a statement by at the district’s website announcing the agreement.
"What we're trying to do is have that ready to give it to members on Monday, March 30," Heidemann said. "And if we can do that we'll hold a ratification vote right around April 6."
The school board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is April 14.
The two-year agreement covers the current school year and the 2026-2027 school year. Heidemann said JEA agreed to a two-year deal, rather than three years as has occurred in previous negotiations, "when we really started getting back into negotiating and getting serious about it that's what was on offer from the district, and our team was comfortable with it."
Heidemann said much of the movement on negotiations occurred within the past few weeks as district officials seemed more willing to seek a compromise deal. Also, an agreement the administration reached with the district’s support staff earlier this month played a significant role — as did an agreement in Anchorage between that district and its teachers — because they provided "a measuring stick," he said.
Statements by JEA and school board leaders were included in the district’s announcement.
“After over a year of bargaining, I am proud to say that we’ve reached an agreement with the District that addresses the top concerns of Juneau educators and the students they serve,” said JEA President Jeannette Sleppy. “Ultimately, 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.”
Britteny Cioni-Haywood, the school board’s president, said "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. We look forward to the agreement being ratified and coming before the board for approval.”
Negotiations for a new contract began in February of 2025. An impasse was declared in July and JEA on Wednesday that 92% of members voted in favor of authorizing a strike "if necessary," but that negotiations with the district would continue.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
