School board ratifies collective bargaining agreement; vote 6‑2 after months of negotiation

The Prince William County School Board on May 7 ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the Prince William Educators Association (PWEA) by a 6–2 vote, approving a contract that updates wages through a reopener in Chapter 8 and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Division Counsel Eric Anderson told the board the only change in the current agreement is to wages in Chapter 8; the rest of the contract remains the same. Anderson noted the agreement was ratified by PWEA and that signature pages had been received.

Board Member David Blake moved to ratify the agreement; the motion was seconded and carried. Blake said the contract includes what he described as an average increase of “about 13%” over two years and framed the vote as an investment in the district’s workforce that will help with recruitment and retention. Board Member Lisa Wall and Board Member Michael Danek spoke against the ratification on principle, saying they oppose collective bargaining as a governance model even as they said they support salary increases for staff.

Legal counsel also reported the district has incurred significant legal costs over the collective bargaining process; he said his office has tracked legal fees connected to collective bargaining and related matters and that the figure is “easily a half million dollars” since the negotiations began. Anderson offered to provide exact numbers to the board.

Supporters of ratification, including several board members, highlighted wider provisions that had been negotiated earlier in the contract such as stipend increases, compensation for summer work and protections for health coverage; those provisions were not changed in the wage reopener but were part of the existing agreement negotiated in the prior cycle, staff said.

The motion passed with six yes votes and two no votes; the board did not alter the agreement language at the meeting. Counsel said the agreement will be effective July 1, 2025.