School is in session in Highland Park-based North Shore School District 112, but teachers are working without a new contract as negotiations have been slow.
Administrators and teachers agreed to allow a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to assist in talks, according to a joint statement from the district and the teachers union, the North Shore Education Association. The mediator has been working with the parties since July and will be at the next bargaining session on Sept. 12.
The previous three-year contract expired Aug. 21, and teachers are working under the terms of the old contract.
“That means teachers who spent a lot of money on professional development … aren’t moving a lane on the salary schedule. They aren’t getting raises,” said Pamela Kramer, a reading teacher who is president of the Education Association.
A mediator’s involvement does not mean the parties have reached an impasse or are preparing to strike. But talks have not gone as smoothly as teachers initially thought they would, Kramer said. She said raises are the main sticking point, but she declined to say how much teachers are requesting.
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Both parties said they couldn’t discuss specific points of the negotiations.
“Our dealings with the administration have been wonderful in the past year,” Kramer said.
If the parties can’t reach an agreement after the next meeting, they can declare an impasse. Then, both sides would give a final offer. If terms still cannot be reached, teachers could decide whether to pursue a strike, Kramer said.
Even if progress is made at the next negotiating session, more dates could be on the horizon, said District 112 spokeswoman Andi Rosen.
“The expectation is both sides continue to bargain in good faith,” she said. “Both parties want to reach an agreement.”
Teachers and administrators in District 112 are no strangers to tough negotiations. During the last contract negotiations, the Education Association took a strike vote, although a strike never occurred.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a strike in Highland Park,” Kramer said.
Rosen said she can’t say whether administrators anticipated smoother negotiations this time around.
“It’s a different board in place, different administration, different issues,” she said.