After months  of contentious negotiations over teacher salary and benefits, a tentative agreement was made Dec. 5, after another negotiations meeting was held during which the district offered a 10% pay salary increase with no healthcare cap and a one time 2% bonus for this school year . 

This is a far jump from the district’s previous offer, a 6% pay increase with an additional 4% under the condition that educators put a cap (limit) on their health and welfare costs. While the district’s second  offer grew closer to the 12.84% VUEA originally  asked for, the union countered by asking for the 11.5% pay increase with fully funded healthcare. Although the counter-offer and offer are not identical, “both sides have agreed to return to negotiations next week to iron out the details,” the VUEA website read. They claim they are “optimistic that we [educators] will have a signed agreement next week,” the website read.

Along with the optimistic claims the VUEA website reads, they have included the next steps to having a signed agreement. They will need to meet and finalize and vote on a tentative agreement.  A tentative agreement is an agreement of which both sides agree to the terms and conditions.