HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — While the collective bargaining agreement for Guam Department of Education support staff is pending, an agreement for teachers has been approved.
The contract between the Guam Federation of Teachers and the Guam Education Board was ratified by representatives from both sides, approved and finalized by the board in late July.
“The new CBA is better than the old one and helps guide the department and teachers to work harmoniously,” said Tim Fedenko, president of the Guam Federation of Teachers.
The details of the agreement haven’t been disclosed publicly, as it still needs to be signed, but Fedenko said the “changes helped clarify what is expected in various departments such as counseling, art education, etc.”
Contract negotiations began April 2022 with the formation of the negotiating teams, a much-needed step as GDOE was out of compliance with the 2017 agreement regarding certified school counselors.
One of the major concerns the new agreement was to address is the counselor-student ratios and the use of counselors as substitute teachers. Other concerns pertained to the mental health of school counselors due to their workload.
Superintendent Kenneth Swanson told The Guam Daily Post that the support staff contract was pending due to concerns by the attorney general that needed to be addressed.
The Guam Federation of Teachers sign near the building’s entrance in Mangilao on Aug. 10, 2023
