 Board Approves Contract Agreement With KEA by Dick Kauffman September 20, 2002
The Ketchikan School Board held a special meeting Friday evening for the purpose of considering ratifying a proposed Ketchikan Education Association negotiated agreement. The board with a vote of 4-3 approved the tentative agreement with the teachers' union - KEA. Board members Sue Pickrell, Mike Lyshol and Russell Thomas voted no. Board members Sue Pickrell and Mike Lyshol resigned immediately following the vote. In telephone interviews, Pickrell and Lyshol both stated they resigned because of their concerns with the process used in negotiating the tentative agreement with the Ketchikan Education Association. Questions and concerns had previously been raised prior to Friday's special school board meeting by Pickrell regarding the negotiating process used during a recent unannounced board bargaining session with the KEA. In what was called an "informal" meeting held on August 27th, between the board - with only Board President Earlene Brown present - and KEA union negotiators, the two sides came to a tentative agreement on several issues that previously had led to an impasse earlier in the spring. The tentative agreement was revealed the day following the meeting. Pickrell expressed concerns over the resulting tentative agreement as the "informal" meeting was not announced ahead of time and the only board member on the negotiating team was Board President Earlene Brown. In a telephone interview Friday evening, Pickrell said that she and Board Member Charlotte Shaffer had volunteered to be included in any negotiations with the union and they were not notified of the meeting. Board President Earlene Brown is a retired teacher and at one time represented teachers on the bargaining team for the Ketchikan Education Association. When contacted by phone Friday evening, Board President Earlene Brown said the board voted 4-3 to approve the tentative agreement with KEA and she is pleased the process is completed. Brown did not comment on the resignations of Pickrell and Lyshol nor comment on the concerns raised over the negotiation process.
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