By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Negotiators for the Hays USD 489 Board of Education and the Hays National Education Association are set to continue talks at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Toepfer Board Room in the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th.

Negotiations were forced to continue after the USD 489 bargaining unit overwhelmingly voted against the contract that was negotiated between the groups last August.

“I’m not surprised it failed,” Kim Schneweis, HNEA Bargaining Committee co-chairwoman, said in August after hearing negative feedback from the unit after three presentations were given to explain the negotiated contract.

“The general feeling was that there were a lot of takeaways and really nothing offered in return for that.”

The groups first met in December to discuss new proposals brought to the negotiators, centering mostly around the lack of vertical salary scale movement based on years of service.

The new proposal also included two extra years of retirement health benefits to be paid by higher premiums for retirees.

If the groups are unable to come to an agreement, negotiations will move to mediation.