CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Bradley County Education Association has asked the county school board why it is taking so long to ratify a contract the association negotiated in March.
Bradley Board of Education members said Monday there are so many changes taking place in Tennessee public education that they want their attorney, Chuck Cagle, to have time to review the contract. It will be on their voting agenda next month, Chairman Troy Weathers said.
"We don't want to have to come back and redo something," Weathers said.
But education association President Barbara Harrison said the group thinks the attorney should have had plenty of time to complete the review.
"We have tried to look at all the legislation that might relate to a contract, the Race to the Top act and things that might affect teachers," Harrison told the board. "We know at this time everything is changing very rapidly. Some of what we have tried to put in may not even be valid in a few weeks."
Cagle has told board members he has not finished all the research he needs to do, Weathers said.
If the board approves the contract next month, board member Christy Critchfield said some things, such as Race to the Top rules, might have to be renegotiated, but not the entire contract.
The board dealt with one change Monday, approving a list of 53 teachers for tenure. It is Bradley County's last list of teachers getting tenure after three years, schools Director Johnny McDaniel said. The new rule is five years, among other considerations.