Negotiations over a new contract between Battle Ground Public Schools and its teachers remain ongoing, though schools stay open.
As of press deadline, the district did not expect any updates in the bargaining process until the next planned session, Sept. 16. The teams between BGPS and the Battle Ground Education Association met for several hours on both Aug. 31 and Sept. 5, an update from the district stated Sept. 6.
“Our Board of Directors and leadership team are committed to bargaining in good faith to provide staff with wages and working conditions that are comparable to surrounding districts and within the capacity of the district’s budget,” the district update stated.
The district and the teachers union have been in negotiations over the contract since January, ahead of its expiration at the end of August.
Initially those negotiations centered around working condition language that didn’t impact the district budget, a district spokesperson previously stated. Following the Washington state Legislature’s work on the state budget this spring, negotiations shifted to compensation.
The latest offer from the district would see compensation rise by 16.75% over three years, according to information from BGPS. Where the district and the union differ is on the first year’s increase. BGPS is offering 8.75% in the first year, while BGEA is seeking an 11.75% increase for the 2023-24 school year, according to district information.
Though a resolution is yet to come, this year Battle Ground teachers are still teaching classes, in contrast to the last time negotiations went into the start of the school year. Battle Ground experienced a 12-day strike in 2018, when teachers across North Clark County stood on picket lines over negotiations of how new state money would be dedicated.
Instead, the teachers union voted not to strike the day before school was set to start. Battle Ground Public Schools and the Battle Ground Education Association have bargaining sessions scheduled for Sept. 16, 20 and 26, the district stated.
