Teachers' contract settled: 6.25% raise in year two

What happened

After a year of stalled bargaining and March mediation, the board took up ratification of a two-year Juneau Education Association agreement on April 9, 2026: in FY26, a 3% base increase, a reindexed salary schedule, and a one-time 2% payment retroactive to July 1, 2025; in FY27, a 6.25% salary-schedule increase, with the district's health contribution rising to $1,704 per month. Final ratification was on the April 14 agenda.

Why it matters to families

Settled pay helps keep teachers in classrooms after a year of visible tension, but the same packet warns the added cost helps drive an anticipated $4 million structural deficit in FY28 unless state funding rises.

The evidence

The April 9, 2026 board packet details the tentative agreement's terms and the FY28 deficit projection; the April 14, 2026 regular-meeting agenda lists the final-reading ratification. Minutes for both meetings are not in the archive, so final passage is supported by the agenda rather than a recorded vote.

The source