Stalemate: Second round of mediation unsuccessful in teacher contract talks

A second day at the bargaining table with a professional mediator did not result in a contract between the Conway Education Association and the Conway School Board.The two sides again agreed to disagree on a few items that could have brokered a deal, leaving the table Monday afternoon still at impasse. The good news is both sides have agreed to continue talking and will try to schedule a meeting between just the two chairpersons to see if a contract will be salvaged.Neither side could comment on the specific issues that are hanging up negotiations."We still still do not have an agreement," Curtis Finney, president of the Conway Education Association, said Monday afternoon. "I can't say why, but we are at least hoping to continue the dialogue. We're out of mediation, mediation is done. We hope to continue the dialogue on the on the points we're close to agreeing upon."Mediation is exhausting," Finney continued. "The mediator did a tremendous job of trying to bring both sides to an agreement. I really think there were times that both sides were hopeful. I can tell you that both sides reached out, trying to make this work."The cost for the mediator is being shared between the teachers' union and the school board. "It's in the neighborhood of $1,000 per session with travel expenses," school superintendent Carl Nelson said. The parties met for about 12 hours with the mediator."The next step will be fact-finding," Nelson said. "We will still keep the lines of communication open, and if anything comes up we will advise accordingly."Nelson said a meeting between Rebecca Hill, chairman of Conway Education Association, and Sheryl Kovalik, chairman of the Conway School Board, "is a conversation that may or may not take place I cannot say at this time." He added, "The mediator worked hard and did not succeed in bringing about a successful resolution."Finney said the hopes for a contract now rest with Kovalik and Hill."They've agreed to meet and know what the (sticking) points are," Finney said, "and whether we can come to an agreement on them."If an agreement is not reached, the current contract, which is at the end of a two-year deal, will remain in place for the 2009-10 school year. "I think we'd all be displeased if we don't get a contract worked out," Finney said. "Not having a contract doesn't serve anyone well, the teachers or the townspeople. We kept the memberships (196 members of the Conway Education Association) in mind all of the time during these negotiations." Both sides reached impasse earlier in October, prompting the need for a professional mediator to see if negotiations could be salvaged.At impasse, the union submitted three names of professional mediators to Nelson that he has shared with the school board. Hill said the school board agreed to one of the recommended mediators. Neither she nor Nelson would divulge the name of the negotiator, although Nelson said it it not a local person."There are professional mediators who do work all over the states (in New England)," Nelson said speaking in general terms. "When the sides agree to mediation, a mediator comes in and hopefully he or she can resolve negotiations." Finney described what happens in the process with the mediator. "This person comes in and will go back and forth with both sides. He'll meet with both chairs (Hill and Kovalik) initially. They will lay out what both sides want or are looking for, and then he will meet with each team, going back and forth the rest of the day." He said the teachers' union sent an e-mail to its 196 members explaining the impasse, which started with the definition of the word "a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible."Nelson also hopes for a resolution. Traditionally negotiations wrap up in November."We haven't had an (impasse) situation occur in Conway in quite some time," Nelson said."We wish it didn't have to be this way," Hill said. "It's been a long time since our negotiations have gone to impasse."Conway School Board members Kovalik, Dick Klement and Janine McLauchlan are serving as the district's negotiating team while Hill, a science teacher at Kennett High, George Cole, math teacher at Kennett High; Kimberly Mathison, sixth grade teacher at Conway Elementary; and Chris Bailey, teacher at Kennett High, make up the Conway Education Association's negotiating team. "I have a great team," Finney said. "Everyone worked really hard together. I give them a lot of credit. We thought out of the box quite a bit trying to (get a deal done)."