Still no contract agreement between the Hays NEA and USD 489 following Tuesday afternoon’s 90-minute negotiation

The sticking point is teachers’ salaries.  The school board is offering $220,000 for raises, $60,000 more than the board’s offer two weeks ago.  After a brief caucus, Hays NEA bargaining unit co-chairwoman Kathy Wagoner said they “can not sign off on that.”

The teacher’s union is holding out for $400,000, which includes money for horizontal and vertical movement on the salary schedule, and a 1.7% cost-of-living raise:

Because of “increasing costs of health insurance and worker’s compensation,” the board has no extra money, according to Superintendent Will Roth.

School board president Greg Schwartz  says the board’s offer provides a 1.85% salary raise for employees, more than the cost of living increase:

The board representatives will take the teachers’ $400,000 figure back to the entire school board at Monday’s work session.

The negotiating teams will meet again Tuesday, August 13, at 4:30p.m.  The first day of school for USD 489 is next Thursday, August 15.