By Ulysses S. Arn -
At 1:40 AM Wednesday morning, the Dixon Education Association (DEA) and the Dixon school board reached an agreement to end a two week long teachers strike. Currently details of what is in the new contract remain a mystery as neither side will reveal negotiated details until the DEA members vote next Monday followed by school board consideration next Wednesday.Both sides issued the following press release:
The Dixon Public Schools Board of Education and Dixon Education Association are pleased to announce that at 1:40 a.m., Wednesday morning, the parties reached agreement on a four-year contract. Both students and teachers will return to school on Wednesday, March 13th and begin ISAT testing by the end of this week.
The specific details of the contract will be made available after the teachers ratify and the Board approves the tentative agreement. The DEA plans to ratify the agreement on Monday, March 18th and the Board of Education will approve the agreement at its March 20th meeting.
The Board and DEA affirmed that with this strike now being resolved, it is time for the parties to put any disagreements behind them and move forward in a positive direction for the benefit of the students, parents and community.
“With the assistance of the federal mediator, both parties worked hard to find creative solutions to resolve the outstanding issues,” said Sandi Sodergren-Baar, President of the DEA. “We are confident that the settlement is the best one for our schools and will keep the District moving forward,” said Tom Balser, Board President.
A request has been sent to Dixon superintendent Michael Juenger asking for details of the new contract, hopefully I will be able to inform the public about what is in the new contract before it is voted on.
