Jan 16, 2018 2 min read

Union teachers who walked off the job for 23 days last fall in the Ringgold School District are a step closer to having a new contract.

Members of the Ringgold Education Association voted last week 152-36 to ratify a tentative five-year contract that will go before the school board Wednesday, said Maria Degnan, union president

“We appreciate all of the support we received throughout this process,” the union stated on its Facebook page. “We believe this contract is a step in the right direction for the betterment of the entire district.”

The fact that more than 80 percent of the district’s teachers voted in favor of the pact indicates the teachers are satisfied with its contents.

“I can’t give you any details now,” said Degnan, adding the new teacher salaries will be revealed after the school board approves the contract.

The district and teachers announced both parties reached a tentative settlement at the beginning of the Dec. 20 school board meeting.

The announcement erased any concerns a second strike would be called this term by the district’s 201 teachers.

The union walked off the job after giving the district an Oct. 13 strike notice, with pay and issues involving the salary step schedule having been the main stumbling blocks in reaching a new pact.

The union also claimed during negotiations its teachers were the lowest-paid in the region, causing a pattern of turnover at Ringgold.

The last proposal that was made public would have taken teacher salaries from between $36,000 and $78,508 a year last term to between $41,439 and $83,947 a year by the end of the contract.