After three years of negotiations that a union spokeswoman called a “bruising experience,” the teachers of Regional School Unit 5 this week approved a unified contract for teachers in Freeport, Durham and Pownal by a margin of nine votes.
Last week, a dead tie vote — 58-58 — had union officials stymied about how to proceed.
One member was stuck on a plane and missed the vote, others were sick and unable to participate. But, turning to a two-day vote Tuesday and Wednesday finally yielded an end to the process with a 65-56 vote in favor of the contract.
“I believe that both sides worked very hard to get this contract settled,” Nancy Drolet, president of the Coastal Education Association (CEA), wrote in an email to The Times Record. “The CEA understands that the negotiations team felt that this was the best contract they could offer our teachers.”
As for how the teachers feel about the contract, “the severe split speaks for itself,” Drolet wrote.
But with the agreement in hand, Drolet indicated that she’s hopeful about where the district goes from here.
“I am hoping that time and increased communication will help heal these wounds and will allow us to move forward in a positive direction,” Drolet wrote. “I also applaud all of our teachers for their constant professionalism throughout this process.”
Further details of the contract were not known by press time Friday.
At a budget meeting May 23, voters approved a regular instruction budget showing an increase of $437,612 overall and a contingency set aside for $759,935.
RSU 5 board chairman Nelson Larkins said at that meeting that the contingency set aside — listed in budget documents as supporting wages, music and a high school facilities study — anticipates the contract deal under negotiation with the CEA.
Going into the process, Larkins told The Times Record in a previous interview that inking a unified contract turned out to be a “bigger task than any of us realized.”
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