Arlington School Board Certifies First Collective Bargaining Agreements Benefiting APS Teachers and Support Staff

The Arlington School Board certified two collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) at its June 20 Board meeting. Arlington Public Schools (APS) is the fifth school division in Virginia to certify CBAs after Richmond, Falls Church City, Montgomery County Public Schools (Va.) and Prince William County. The APS agreements are the most comprehensive and extensive agreements to be certified in a Virginia school division.

“Today marks a significant milestone for Arlington Public Schools as we certify our first collective bargaining agreements for our teachers and support staff in nearly 50 years,” said Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán. “These agreements reflect our commitment to supporting our dedicated staff. By listening to their voices and working collaboratively, we are setting a precedent for excellence and equity in education.”

The two certified agreements are between APS and the Arlington Education Association (AEA), including one agreement for support staff, effective for two years, and one for licensed staff, effective for three years.

“AEA was honored to be elected as the exclusive bargaining agent by APS employees. AEA was and will always be fully committed to negotiating in the best interest of employees,” said June Prakash, AEA President. “Collective bargaining requires a deep level of trust, commitment, and understanding by both parties, and over the past year, these attributes were the core of our successful negotiations. AEA is looking forward to continuing its partnership with APS.”

Top highlights from both licensed and support staff include:

• Increased flexibility in leave—leave can be taken in one-hour increments
• Four days of bereavement leave, which includes pregnancy loss
• AEA representation on the Health Insurance Selection Advisory Committee to provide employee voice in benefits change
• Guaranteed annual step increase
• Verbal communications with employees regarding corrective actions for performance improvement must be made and kept in confidence
• Staff must be informed of student referral outcomes

Licensed Agreement includes: 

• Compensation for class coverage at the staff member’s hourly rate
• Four release days for Special Education teachers to work on IEP compliance
• Professional development outside of contract hours is no longer mandatory
• Three unencumbered planning periods every week
• Must adhere to at least 45 consecutive minutes or 360 total minutes allotted weekly for elementary planning time
• No more than two staff meetings per month

 Support Staff Agreement includes: 

• 35 minutes duty-free lunch
• Work assigned outside of contract hours must be performed during contract hours unless otherwise directed
• Physicals occur during contract time, require 7 days’ notice and follow State Board of Education (BoE) requirements
• Professional Standards Stipend extends to all support employees
• Annual allowance for uniforms

 “This certification is a historic achievement for our school community. The agreements with the Arlington Education Association highlight the importance of fair and equitable working conditions for our staff,” said Cristina Diaz-Torres, School Board Chair. “We thank all the staff involved in the negotiations and are proud to be a part of leading the way in Virginia with these comprehensive and inclusive agreements.”

Support Bargaining Teams 

• APS Bargaining team members: Stephanie Maltz, Director of Labor Relations / Chief Negotiator, Matt Thompson, Labor Relations Specialist; Renee Harber, Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Operations; Rajesh Adusumilli, Assistant Superintendent of Information Services; Mark McLaughlin, Director of Finance; Kashina Saunders, Supervisor of Employee Relations; Endia Holmes, Executive Administrative Specialist.
• AEA Bargaining team members: Lisa Staib, Chief Negotiator / AEA UniServ Director; Director; Danielle Jones, Co-Chief Negotiator, Yorktown High School (Instructional Assistant / Life Skills); Cesar Celis, Barcroft Elementary School (registrar); Ivis Castillo, Facilities & Operations (bus driver).

Licensed Bargaining Teams

• APS Bargaining team members: Stephanie Maltz, Director of Labor Relations / Chief Negotiator, Matt Thompson, Labor Relations Specialist; Kim Graves, Chief of Schools; Gerald Mann, Chief of Academics; Julie Crawford, Chief of Diversity and Inclusion; Kashina Saunders, Supervisor of Employee Relations.
• AEA Bargaining team members: Lisa Staib, Chief Negotiator / AEA UniServ Director; Rosa Navas, Co-Chief Negotiator, Glebe Elementary (ITC); Brennan Divett, Gunston Middle School (history / social studies); Lisa Fowler, Wakefield High School (special education) and Basma Joseph, Abingdon Elementary School.

 About Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is a process by which an employer (such as APS), negotiates with a group of employees (a bargaining unit) over terms and conditions of employment. The bargaining unit is represented in negotiations by a bargaining agent (such as a union or association). In May 2022, the Arlington School Board adopted a Collective Bargaining Resolution (CBR) creating three bargaining units at APS. Each bargaining unit has elected an exclusive bargaining agent.

• Administrative Personnel elected Arlington School Administrators (ASA) in October 2022.
• Licensed Personnel elected Arlington Education Association (AEA) in May 2023.
• Support Personnel elected Arlington Education Association (AEA) in May 2023.

 APS and ASA reached an initial Collective Bargaining Agreement effective August 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. This will continue in effect until a successor agreement is reached.