Mat-Su Borough schools, teachers finish contract negotiations

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Mat-Su Borough School District finished contract negotiations with Valley teachers Monday, each side making some progress but still leaving a lot of things undecided.

The two parties met Monday at Mat-Su College to negotiate contracts for teachers and other certified instructors.

Two weeks ago, teachers and instructors protested outside a school board meeting, and since late April they have been working only their contracted hours. They say that was meant to send a message to the district that there's been a lack of progress in negotiations.

Mat-Su teacher contracts expire June 30. The district and the teachers still haven't agreed on salary, health insurance and planning time, and funding from the borough for the next school year is still up in the air.

The borough will meet Tuesday to discuss funding.

Contact Lori Tipton at ltipton@ktuu.com