Teachers' contract settled

Talk about it

Alexandria School District 206 has reached an agreement with its teachers’ association employee group, Education Minnesota Alexandria (EMA).

District 206 Human Resources Director Judy Backhaus presented the two-year agreement on contract negotiations to school board members at a special board meeting early Wednesday morning.

Board members Dave Anderson, Jim Hafdal and Alan Zeithamer served on the negotiating committee.

EMA and the district agreed to a two-year master agreement, which replaces the current contract that expired June 30 of last year.

The agreement, which was ratified by the teachers on Tuesday, includes a salary schedule increase of 1 percent for this year and a 1 percent increase for the 2010-2011 school year, according to Backhaus.

The agreement is effective retroactive to July 1, 2009 and will conclude on June 30, 2011.

Backhaus also noted that minor adjustments were made in health insurance. A total financial increase for the two-year period amounts to an overall increase of 4.1 percent, she added.

Salary adjustments, noted Backhaus, were also made in September for teaching staff based on education and experience.

The new agreement brought clarity and improvements to work agreement language, said Backhaus.

Board Chair Dean Anderson commented on the new contract, “I am very pleased that we reached this agreement. This contract reflects the district’s commitment to problem-solving with the teachers’ union to find common ground in light of a challenging economic climate.”

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