By Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe Unified School District teachers are willing to negotiate, but they want a contract. The last one expired in June 2010.

Carla Zezula and Jodi Dayberry with the South Tahoe Educators Association spoke at the Feb. 14 board meeting about wanting the board to be more engaged with negotiations.

“We want you to understand the process,” Zezula said.

She said with the state deciding not to take away midyear transportation money that it frees up the $735,000 in the Ed-Job fund to be used elsewhere. The teachers intend to negotiate for those dollars.

Dayberry focused her comments on the rumors at schools that cuts to professional development are a done deal. That would be a violation of signed agreements.

“Staff development is a negotiable item,” she said.

While this was a public hearing, no one else spoke. The board is expected to vote on a contract at the March 27 meeting.

More information about what the teachers’ union is asking for is online.

In other action:

• The board agreed to an early retirement incentive for teachers to leave at the end of this school year.

• The five voted to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s education initiative. Board member Larry Green said not passing the bill “will affect children in a terrible way.”