Tentative Contract Agreement at Altamont; School in Session Tuesday

(PRESIDENT CHARLENE CALHOUN AND SECRETARY BONNIE LESTER OF THE ALTAMONT EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT STAFF ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT ON A TENTATIVE CONTRACT WITH THE ALTAMONT BOARD OF EDUCATION MONDAY NIGHT)

Negotiators for the Altamont Educational Support Staff Association and the Altamont Board of Education have reached agreement on a tentative contract.

School will be in session on Tuesday in Altamont.

A vote on the proposed three-year contract will take place at 4:45pm Wednesday in the bus garage at Altamont Community High School.

Association President Charlene Calhoun emerged from the room at the high school where the membership team met through the evening about 10:40pm Monday to announce agreement had been reached on the tentative contract. Calhoun said it is a three-year agreement that would cover last school year, this school year, and the coming school year. She did not release any details of the agreement, but did acknowledge that "there was movement by the Board". An earlier statement released by the Association had indicated the Board had not moved off an earlier proposal offering a nickel raise.

Our Greg Sapp spoke with Charlene Calhoun and fellow Association officer Bonnie Lester about the agreement...

Calhoun, a cook at Altamont Grade School, was joined by Altamont Grade School teacher aide Bonnie Lester, who is secretary of the Association, and Dwight Sutter, a bus driver for the district and a member of the bargaining committee for the Association, in making the announcement of the tentative agreement.

Altamont Superintendent Jeff Fritchtnitch said that this being the initial contract for the support staff association might have extended talks longer than normal, but acknowledged that it was important to the Association members to get an agreement in place. He also acknowledged that getting a third year in the agreement was important to the Association.

We also spoke with Fritchtnitch after the tentative agreement was announced...

Fritchtnitch said the agreement involves 5.6% in new money from where the Association members were three years ago and that new money includes insurance. He thinks the Board might wait, if the Association ratifies the agreement, until their regular May meeting to vote on the agreement, although Board President Jim Holland has the option of calling a special meeting to consider approval of the proposal.

Bottom line...there will be school in Altamont on Tuesday.