GLADSTONE — After 15 months without a teachers contract, the Gladstone School Board voted 5-1 Monday night to ratify a contract with the Gladstone Education Association (GEA). The lone dissenting vote came from Linda Howlett. Board member Gloria McDonnell was not at the meeting. Details of the contract will be released following ratification by teachers. The contract ratified by the school board will cover this past school year through 2011. Several teachers and residents were present for Monday evening’s meeting, with the board adjourning into executive session for approximately 35 minutes to discuss recent labor negotiations which led to the tentative contract. A tentative contract agreement was reached Aug. 12. Both sides conceded that while unfavorable concessions were made, an agreement was reached with the best interest of the students in mind. Often long and bitter, the stalled contract talks tried to kick start with help of a nonbinding arbitrator.