School District, Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement

The bargaining teams for the West Bloomfield Education Association (WBEA) and the Board of Education have reached a tentative agreement on terms for a new collective bargaining agreement, public relations coordinator Pamela Zajac said Friday.

"Details of the agreement will be submitted for review to the Board of Education and WBEA. Following review, a ratification vote will be scheduled," she added.

No further specifications of the contract have been released.

The district ended the 2009-10 school year with a fund balance in deficit of $1.7 million. Teachers have been in negotiations with the district since October 2009 to seek a successor to the contract, which expired in August 2010.

Thomas Goulding, deputy superintendent for business and operations, said April 14 that the district has until June 30 to finalize a budget for the 2011-12 school year. He added that based on predictions drawn from Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2011 budget proposal, the district could face a deficit of almost $4.3 million for the 2011-12 school year.

, according to Goulding, after the board voted 5-2 to on the union March 31. Prior to the cut, the district faced a deficit of $1.7 million.

May 2 alleging that the cut and retroactive step freeze imposed was in violation of Michigan’s Public Employment Relations Act regarding unfair labor practices.