Battle Ground Public Schools and its union have reached a tentative agreement in their long-running salary negotiations.
Marina Heinz, vice president for the Battle Ground Education Association, confirmed to The Columbian at about 5:50 p.m. that the parties had reached a deal.
Heinz would give no details on the agreement, which came less than 24 hours after the union voted to continue striking in spite of a judge’s injunction Friday.
The union is set to meet at 10 a.m. Sunday at Battle Ground High School. The meeting is closed to the public. School is slated to start Monday morning if the teachers ratify the contract.
“We are pleased to reach a tentative agreement that will allow the district to recruit and retain quality teachers,” Superintendent Mark Ross said in a news release. “We are looking forward to starting the school year and coming together to focus on our mission of educating students.”
Battle Ground Public Schools remains the last district in Southwest Washington whose teachers are on strike. The region was a flash point in tense union negotiations this summer, as districts have debated with their unions on salary increases in light of new state money for public schools.
It all stems from the 2012 McCleary decision by the Washington Supreme Court, which ruled the state was failing to fulfill its “paramount duty” to fully fund basic education under the state Constitution.
Last year, the state Legislature approved $7.3 billion in new dollars for public schools. This most recent session, they added another $1 billion to that, bringing the Legislature in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Unions across the state have advocated for double-digit raises this summer, supported by the Washington Education Association, while districts such as Battle Ground maintain changes to the funding formula have rendered them unable to pay for raises at that level.
Ross said the district will have to make “some difficult budget decisions in the coming years” to adjust for the new funding model.
Battle Ground’s teachers held out on the picket lines longer than any other Clark County districts, striking for 12 days while neighboring districts reached settlements.
Saturday’s decision caps a dramatic week for the district, which saw two heated school board meetings, an injunction against the teachers and a vote to return to the picket lines in defiance of that order.
