School district, teachers’ union reach impasse

  • By Kelly Sullivan
  • Thursday, April 16, 2015 9:20pm
  • News

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and the Kenai Peninsula Education Association have reached an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations.

The decision that the negotiations had reached a point where it was no longer possible to move forward was made Wednesday during a scheduled meeting.

The Seattle office of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) was contacted to appoint a mediator to the negotiations, said school district spokesperson Pegge Erkeneff.

A date has not yet been set for those meetings, she said.

KPEA spokesperson Matt Fischer said one of the items that had a dead end discussion was the school district’s health care proposal, which was revisited Wednesday.

“In bargaining, you are not supposed to go backwards, and to us, that was clearly going backwards,” Fischer said. “It was a worse proposition than before.”

During mediation meetings, the two teams will gather in separate rooms and the hired mediator will relay information between the two groups to further develop the contracts and reach an agreement, Fischer said.

“The school district’s position is that we are far apart in our thinking and methodology at this point in negotiations,” Erkeneff said.

The state’s current fiscal situation is a significant factor in contract development for the school district, she said

Utilizing a mediator is common during negotiations, Erkeneff said.

If an agreement cannot be reached with a mediator, the teams will move into an arbitration process, which is when a third party is hired to act as an advisory judge, she said.

The decisions made during that part of the process could be fairly binding, Erkeneff said. Only if necessary, an arbitrator will also be hired through the Seattle office of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The contracts with the teachers association and the Kenai Peninsula Education Support Association, which is also in negotiations with the school district, end on June 30, 2015. If negotiated agreements have not been reached by July 1, 2015, the current contracts will still apply, she said.

 

Reach Kelly Sullivan at kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

A towering Lutz spruce, center, in the Chugach National Forest is about to be hoisted by a crane Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, for transport to the West Lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to be the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service)
Tongass National Forest selected to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Eight to 10 candidate trees will be evaluated, with winner taking “whistlestop tour” to D.C.

A slash pile containing non-organic construction debris is seen at the Snug Harbor Slash Disposal site on Sept. 22, 2020, in Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management)
Assembly OKs concrete lease in Cooper Landing

The vote came amid widespread community opposition to the agreement

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
Children hunt for Easter eggs during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center on Saturday.
Easter eggs, bunnies arrive on the Kenai Peninsula

There are plenty of opportunities to grab a photo with the Easter bunny or seek out some eggs

Flier for Bear Awareness and Electric Fencing Workshops. (Provided by Defenders of Wildlife)
Local workshops to focus on managing bear attractants, electric fencing

The series will run Monday through Friday, April 1-5, in Hope, Seward, Kenai, Soldotna and Homer

A person walks up the steps of the Alaska Capitol, Jan. 16, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
Some KPBSD schools could benefit from internet bill passed by House

If House Bill 193 becomes law, an additional six KPBSD schools would be eligible for the state’s grant program

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
A veterinarian with Greater Good Charities escorts dog Maggie into a free spay/neuter clinic at the Moose Pass Fire Station on Thursday.
Moose Pass rallies behind free spay and neuter clinic

The clinic was put on by Greater Good Charities Good Fix program

Signage marks the entrance to Nikiski Middle/High School on Monday, May 16, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski student arrested after school shooting threats

The juvenile student faces charges of terroristic threatening

Armageddon waits to be shown at the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Agriculture Expo on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Bjorkman farm tax relief bill clears Senate

The bill is now up for consideration in the House

Most Read