The SAD 51 School Board and the SAD 51 Education Association, the district’s teachers union, have reached a tentative labor agreement after bargaining over a new contract for Cumberland-North Yarmouth educators since January. The Education Association voted on the new contract on Dec. 13 and the board is scheduled to vote on it on Dec. 19, finalizing the contract.

SAD 51 teachers have been working without a contract since their previous contract expired on Aug. 31. In early September, the school board voted to approve a new contract with bus drivers after their contract expired at the end of June.

Graham Shove, head of the Education Association, declined to comment at this time.

SAD 51 Superintendent Jeff Porter said multiple factors led to the 11-month negotiation, including inflation, negotiations about paid parental leave and changes in bargaining techniques.

“But at the end of the day, we’re looking at a new scale for compensation, and that new scale is really the biggest change that’s been done to the pay scale for who knows how long.” said Porter, who was unable to share further details of the contract at this time.

This tentative agreement follows the teachers union winning a labor dispute against the district. In a Dec. 2 decision, the Maine Labor Relations Board said that SAD 51 discriminated against a school therapist when it threatened to fire her following her involvement of a union representative in a dispute in January 2023.