Mat-Su teachers' contract ratified

PALMER -- Teachers breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday when the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board voted to accept the Mat-Su Employees Association two-year contract, awarding $500 raises to teachers this year and another $1,000 raise the following year, along with increasing the amount the Mat-Su Borough School District pays for health insurance.

Barb Morris, MSEA president, thanked the board for supporting the teachers, and then promised to work with the district in its attempt to get more state funding to help balance the budget in upcoming years.

"We are working to do our part," Morris said.

The resolution to accept MSEA's contract offer passed the board 6-1, with board member Larry Devilbiss in opposition. Devilbiss explained to the board and audience that while he agrees that teachers deserve a raise, he couldn't in good judgment award such a raise when faced with $8 million worth of cuts for the FY05 budget.

"This is not the time to be handing out raises," Devilbiss said.

Other board members disagreed, pointing out that it is not the fault of the teachers that the budget is so tight.

"I don't think it's fair to single out any employee group," said board member Robert Wells.

The contract negotiations came to an end after numerous months of both the district and MSEA working to come up with a compromise. The ratified contract stipulations are based on an outside arbitrator's report that was presented to both sides earlier this year.