Boulder Valley teacher vote under way

Voting is under way on a tentative contract agreement between the Boulder Valley School District and its teachers union.

The about 1,500 members of the Boulder Valley Education Association — mostly teachers — are voting today and tomorrow on a tentative compensation agreement for the current school year that is nearly identical to an offer they rejected in September.

Teachers are taking free periods or lunch breaks — or they're coming in before or after school — to vote on the contract that would give them a 1 percent cost-of-living pay raise, two additional days of work and extra stipends for some workers.

If a majority of teachers vote for the agreement, district staff will recommend the school board accept the new contract at its first December meeting. If most teachers reject the deal, the union would remain at impasse with the district, and a strike could ensue.

The last time teachers voted on a tentative contract in August, an overwhelming 94 percent rejected the offer of a 1 percent stipend for one year only. Union leaders rejected a proposal of a 1 percent cost-of-living raise in September, but now they've put it to a vote of the members.