Fairbanks North Star Borough School District & Education Support Staff Association
*** INFORMATION RELEASE ***
May 7, 2009
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and the Education Support Staff
Association (ESSA) are pleased to announce a Tentative Agreement for the 2009-2012
Contract with the district’s classified employees.
The parties used an Interest-Based Bargaining model to accomplish the negotiations. InJanuary, before the process began, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
provided a two-day training for the team members. Both the District and ESSA are very
pleased with the process and the excellent dialogue and solutions the process promotes.
The new Agreement features changes in language regarding employee placement when
transferring to different job classifications, use of technology to transmit important
information, an additional personal leave day for 9 and 10 month employees, conditions
for use of unpaid leave, and training for aides in special education classrooms during the
transition of either staff or students.
The salary schedule will increase by a flat dollar amount and a percentage increase for
each step on the salary schedule in order to boost the entry-level pay. In the first year, the
Agreement calls for adding .75 cents to each cell on the salary schedule and then
multiplying the cell by 1.5%; in the second year adding .25 cents to each cell and
multiplying by 3%; and in the third year multiplying each cell by 4%. Step movement is
awarded for each year of the Agreement.
ESSA will hold a meeting on May 16, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. to ratify the Agreement.
Following ratification by ESSA, the Agreement will go before the School Board during
the regular scheduled meeting on Wednesday, May 20.
“The goals of the District and ESSA were mutually agreed upon through open and
cooperative dialogue,” said School Board President, Leslie Hajdukovich. “We are
pleased that a tentative Agreement was reached in a manner of mutual respect and with
an emphasis on increasing entry level pay.”
“The Tentative Agreement that was reached between ESSA and the Fairbanks North Star
Borough School District is a win for both parties and demonstrates the wisdom of
management and labor working together in an atmosphere of trust and respect,” said Fred
Landru, President of the Education Support Staff Association.
Media contact:
FNSBSD School Board: Leslie Hajdukovich.…………452-5026
Education Support Staff Association: Irene Matheis.……………….388-6197
