AAPS teachers have a contract through December 2027. Our work is not done.

Your voices made a difference, but our work isn't done. Teachers have a contract through December 2027, and bargaining starts again in spring 2027. Help us reach 2,500 signatures before then, so the school board knows our community is still watching. Nearly 1,900 of us have already told AAPS that teachers need fair pay, lower health care costs, and a real plan to keep good educators in Ann Arbor.

In April, teachers rejected the district's first tentative agreement by 99.6%. In September, they approved a new agreement 524 to 377, and the school board approved it unanimously. The contract gives a 1.5% raise, adds a new top pay step with a 4% raise, and increases what the district pays toward health insurance by 5%. It also drops the April plan to cut planning time and increase class sizes.

That's progress, but it's not enough. Ann Arbor gets more funding per student than almost every comparable district, yet it pays the least for new teachers. Plymouth-Canton gets $1,001 less per student and pays new teachers $3,370 more. The contract also doesn't guarantee raises after 2027.

As union president Fred Klein put it, "The TA passed, but the fight isn't over."

Our community urges the AAPS school board to:

• Publish the full contract so families can read it.
• Guarantee raises that continue after 2027.
• Offer starting pay that matches nearby districts.
• Honor every pay step, every year.
• Move toward an 80/20 health care cost split permitted under Michigan law.

This petition will stay open as AAPS approaches the 2027 contract talks. When bargaining starts in the spring, let's make sure the school board hears from even more of us. Please sign and share this with one parent, student, or neighbor today to get us to 2,500 signatures.

Sources:
Ann Arbor Record: annarborrecord.com/articles/ann-arbor-teachers-ratify-contract-ending-eight-month-standoff-mto6buq0
Ann Arbor Record: annarborrecord.com/articles/ann-arbor-board-ratifies-teacher-contract-with-1-5-raise-mtvbgyo6
Ann Arbor Record: annarborrecord.com/articles/superintendent-earns-259-840-as-aaps-teachers-lack-a-contract-mst3d6ln
Michigan Daily: michigandaily.com/news/news-briefs/ann-arbor-teachers-vote-to-ratify-new-contract/
Ann Arbor Observer: annarborobserver.com/why-the-aaps-contract-agreement-was-anything-but/