AEA Bargaining Team Update
From President Corey Aist:
“Community involvement in this process is critical. The Anchorage Education Association has one primary objective as we negotiate our next contract with the Anchorage School District: the retention of our educators. The most crucial factor in student success is having exceptional educators in every classroom and learning space. By working together to retain our professional educators, AEA and ASD can achieve ASD’s mission of ‘educating all students for success in life.
To meet this objective, we must address both retention and workload as more than half of ASD’s certified employees—over 1,500 individuals—have resigned or retired over the past four years, primarily driven by the lure of more competitive salaries and benefits offered by urban districts in the Lower 48 or by opportunities outside the education field entirely.
By pulling back the curtains and having our sessions open, we will find creative solutions that work for everyone and focus on student success.”
June 23, 2025 Update
Dear Members,
I hope your summer is going well. As you may have heard, the governor vetoed a large portion of the BSA increase supported by Alaska's communities and passed by a bipartisan Alaska legislature. The governor reduced the increase by $200... from $700 to $500. This will significantly impact ASD and school districts across Alaska.
At the ASD Board meeting on June 18, 2025, the ASD Board granted Dr. Bryantt the authority to freeze hiring positions, but he has not yet used that power. Additionally, there are no plans for any of the displacement's members experienced this spring, although AEA is monitoring for any signs that ASD might move a small number of staff between schools at the start of the school year due to enrollment figures.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to AEA if you have any questions.
I continue to be inspired by your Bargaining Team's commitment and the time they have volunteered during their summer break. They have the following update to share.
Your bargaining team met with the District on May 28, June 11, and June 18. Our ongoing discussions resulted in agreement (TA) on the following articles. All of this information is available on the AEA bargaining team update webpage.
413 Assignment and Transfer
Set June 15 as the deadline for voluntary transfers, with exceptions for displaced staff and employees returning from long-term leaves. Cleaned up outdated language.
417 Inservice Planning
Educators can work remotely (i.e., from home) on GAP days.
Members will not be required to print report cards
Minimum of one full day allocated for classroom setup at the start of the year.
428 Time at Duty Station
Transition time between elementary specials
429 Alaska Reads Act
Two sub days per year for elementary K-3 classroom teachers to complete AK Reads duties.
430 Professional Learning Communities
Members will provide input on their PLCs within the district’s overall framework.
PLC time may not conflict with member flex time.
440 Assault of Members by an Adult
No changes to current contract language. (Back to Book)
452 Instructional Planning Time
All members will receive at least 240 minutes (4 hours) of planning time unless they are a secondary teacher with a team or collaboration planning period, in which case they will get at least 200 minutes of individual planning time.
470 Conference Coverage
The new coverage rate is calculated at 0.085% of B0/0 step (based on a 2024-25 salary of $48). The rate will increase proportionally whenever the salary schedule increases.
If a class is split into two for coverage, each teacher is paid 75% of the 0.085% B0/0 rate. If split into three or more, each teacher receives 50% of the 0.085% B0/0 rate.
Coverage payments will be entered by admin staff as addenda within 7 workdays of coverage, so members no longer need to fill out coverage forms.
Moreover, on June 18, Corey presented the findings on health insurance information from research conducted by PEHT and PEHT's actuary. You can find the audio presentation along with the slides on the AEA bargaining webpage.
Lastly, the AEA bargaining team is scheduled to meet with the District on June 27 and July 23. As a reminder, our current agreement expires on June 30. We then enter dynamic status quo, where the terms of the expired contract continue to apply until a new agreement is reached.
In Solidarity,
Your AEA Bargaining Team
Lem Wheeles, Chairperson (Dimond High)
Christian Haich, Spokesperson (Polaris K12)
Creed Campbell (King Tech)
Sonja Kenning (Northwood Elementary)
Michaela Kolerok (West High)
Amber King (Ravenwood Elementary)
Keri Lierman (Chugiak High)
Karen Grey-Levine (Rogers Park Elementary)
Brian Nelson (Retired)
Adam Reid (AKChoice)
Courtney Eyer (Uniserv Director)
Jessica Minguez (Uniserv Director)
