South Kitsap School District and South Kitsap Education Association reached a tentative agreement about 7 p.m. today.

The proposal will be presented to SKEA members for a vote, and then if ratified, presented to the School Board for approval.

SKEA members will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday at South Kitsap High School to hear from the negotiating team and to vote on whether or not to agree to the contract, announced Judy Arbogast, spokesperson.

“We are very pleased that we were able to reach a tentative agreement with our dedicated and skilled staff in the South Kitsap Education Association,” said Keith Garton, school board president. “I also want to acknowledge the hard work of the district’s bargaining team.”

On the SKEA website, President John Richardson announced he was happy with the agreement.

“We are happy to finally have a tentative agreement that makes real progress toward smaller class sizes,” said Richardson. “We thank the community for their support and look forward to our meeting on Tuesday.”

Garton said that the school board has directed Superintendent Michelle Reid to work with district stakeholders to continue the focus on rebuilding the district’s reserves and fiscal stability.

The board also expects Reid to work on the implementation of the recommendations from the recent independent fiscal review.

“We want to thank everyone in the community for your dedication to our school system and your patience as we worked on reaching a tentative agreement. I know both the district and SKEA are united in providing the best education possible for South Kitsap students,” added Garton.

The board will schedule a meeting next week to vote on the contract agreement.