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PENINSULA DAILY NEWS June 23, 2016 | 75¢
Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
Teachers, district hammer out deal Labor accord waits on board BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Education Association and the Port Townsend School District have reached a tentative agreement for a new two-year contract. “The agreement begins to meet our goals around collaboration
time, compensation and communication around teacher evaluation,” said association president Chris Pierson. “The School Board will consider and hopefully adopt the contract at their next session.” The School Board is expected to consider the proposal at 6 p.m. Monday in the conference room in the Gael Stuart Building, 1610
Blaine St. David Engle, who retires as the district’s superintendent next week, said he was happy with the new contract. “Both sides bargained in good faith, and we came out with an agreement that allows us to carry on for the next two years,” he said. Details of the proposed contract will not be disclosed to the public until the Monday meeting, according to union member Roger Mills. If approved, the new contract
is expected to address some of the concerns voiced by the teachers at two recent board meetings about low salaries that are not compatible with other districts. Aside from the salary adjustment, the new contract includes compensation for collaboration time and “cleaned up some language” in other areas, according to Mills. “This puts us in the middle of the pack and gives us a better chance of recruiting new teachers
to the district,” Mills said. According to the website Teacher Salary Info, the average teacher salary in the state is $54,033. Under the old contract, the average in Port Townsend is $48,872, it said. The website said Port Townsend teacher salaries range from $23,940 for preschool to $73,890 for a tenured high school teacher. TURN
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Films by design Fest post unveiled tonight; no guest yet BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
The 2016 Port Townsend Film Festival poster designed by Terry Tennesen will be formally unveiled at a public event tonight.
PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Film Festival will unveil the 2016 festival poster today. The public reception at 5:30 p.m. at the film festival office at 211 Taylor St., Suite 401-A, will include a briefing on the films that will be shown at this year’s festival, planned Sept. 23-25. The poster is designed by Port Townsend graphic artist and set designer Terry Tennesen. Tennesen also drew the 2015 poster, which contained images of all of the 15 special guests to date. Because no special guest has yet committed to appear at this year’s event, Tennesen’s poster takes on a simpler tone. It includes a film strip drawn in charcoal and contact information for those who want to attend the festival, which will be at venues in and around downtown Port Townsend. Each year, an acting or directing star is invited to be the special guest at the festival. The Port Townsend Film Festival has not yet secured a special guest for this year’s event — its 17th — causing both anxiety and optimism. “We have a good tuna on the hook but haven’t reeled them in yet,” Force said of the prospect, who traditionally is referred to as a fish to avoid
CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
As part of the selection process for this year’s festival, a film about a 1966 school shooting is screened by, from left, Terry Tennesen, Janette Force, Victoria O’Donnell and Cody Updegrave. speaking the name before the big reveal. “It won’t be until mid-July until we hear, and it’s making me crazy,” Force said. Should this particular fish slip out of the net, there are many other possibilities, she said. TURN
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Racers hope for fair winds in Alaska race Official start set for 6 a.m. today BY CHARLIE BERMANT
A favorable weather forecast adds to the enthusiasm, Evans PORT TOWNSEND — The said. second Race to Alaska from Port Townsend was scheduled to begin Noon Sunday today, with 63 non-motorized The race sponsored by the boats lining up in time for the Northwest Maritime Center will 6 a.m. starting gun. begin in earnest at noon Sunday, Racers have until 5 p.m. Friwhen participants will start the day to finish the qualifying leg 750-mile journey to Ketchikan, from Port Townsend to Victoria. “I’m feeling charged and the Alaska, from Victoria. Of the 63 boats participating, energy is really high,” said Daniel Evans, race boss, Wednesday 44 have committed to run the entire race. afternoon. Several potential participants “We’ve seen a lot of preparedness from the racers, and the backed out in the past few days boats are very well put together.” “because they were having trou-
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ble getting here,” Evans said. The first team to arrive in Ketchikan will earn a $10,000 cash prize. The second will get a set of steak knives. All other participants will earn “cathartic elation if you can simply complete the course,” according to the event website. Jake Beattie, Northwest Maritime Center executive director, said sponsoring a race in 2017 has not yet been decided. If the race occurs, details will be announced at the Wooden Boat CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Festival, which is set for Matt Johnson of Seattle prepares his one-man pedaled Sept. 9-11. For more information, go to trimaran for the Race to Alaska, which was scheduled to begin early this morning in Port Townsend. www.r2ak.com.
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