Eastmont School District Completes Agreement with Professional Teaching Staff

The Eastmont School Board recently approved a collective bargaining deal between the district and Eastmont Education Association, which represents all the district's professional teaching staff.

Superintendent Garn Christensen said he is pleased with the agreement, which represents a modest, 1.6% increase in the amount paid by the state. The one-year deal gets the district and staff through the school year, running through August of 2021. The previous agreement ran for two years.

"There's been a lot of challenges this year. It's isn't any easier." explained Christensen, "It's much more challenging for every educator. We're hearing much longer days than many people have ever had to put in for just preparing and planning, given the need to do remote learning, record things, and keep the technology operating."

Christensen added that one of the district's goals is to provide fair wages and benefits while competing with other districts in the region. Eastmont collectively bargains with six separate groups, which is not unusual.