Tentative deal reached for Jay teachers (06/28/06)

The Jay Classroom Teachers Association and the Jay School Corporation announced today they have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.

Superintendent Barb Downing and JCTA president Doug Tipton released a joint statement this morning announcing that the agreement is still subject to ratification by both parties and that no details of the contract would be made public before then.

The school board will meet Wednesday, July 5 at noon in the central administration office and JCTA will meet July 6 at 5 p.m. at East Jay Middle School.

“I think we have a contract that we can get more than 50 percent to approve,” said Tipton.

Reached after just four meetings in three weeks, Tipton said this is the earliest a contract settlement in more than a decade. Official negotiations began June 6.

“It was a good process,” said Downing. “I really appreciated the cooperative attitude of the teachers in tough fiscal times.”

The teachers’ current contract expires July 31, 2006. Downing said the new contract will not supersede the old one, but will be effective at a later date.

“It’s always best if you can go into a school year with a contract settled,” said Tipton. “This year there was a lot better climate. Both sides came in looking to make a consensus.”

Committees involved in the negotiation process were comprised of eight representatives from JCTA and seven from the school board and administration.

JCTA has 252 members, or about 94 percent of all Jay School Corporation teachers.[[In-content Ad]]