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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 29, 2005 School union talks down to ‘nuts, bolts’ By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Negotiations between the Eagle Point School District and a union representing teachers and other employees stalled this week, but both sides agreed to continue bargaining next week. "We’re down to the nuts and bolts of the contract and some strongly held beliefs," said Lisa Freiley, an Oregon School Boards Association arbitration consultant hired by the district. "The parties are trying very hard to make progress." The previous contract expired at the end of June, and employees have continued working under those terms while hammering out a new agreement. Sticking points so far include salary, health insurance and provisions dealing with class sizes, preparation time and the chance to seek new jobs within the district. Under state law, class size, prep time and transfer opportunities are considered "permissive" items that don’t have to be discussed in negotiations, so the district has told the union it wants to take them off the table. Tuesday night the union presented a proposal dealing with those subjects, and the district rejected it. The proposal sought blocks of uninterrupted prep time for middle school teachers and bonus pay or extra prep time for teachers of oversize classes. Advertisement "We asked them to revisit the proposal and bring us items that would look toward common ground to get us closer to a settlement," Superintendent Bill Feusahrens said. Union President Jody Streetman, an Eagle Point High School health teacher, said the union negotiating team worked several hours Tuesday night drafting a new proposal to keep negotiations rolling. It will be presented to the board for review Tuesday and the next bargaining session is set for Oct. 6. The district has contacted a mediator who will step in Nov. 7 if the two sides can’t come to agreement. Feusahrens said he is hopeful the negotiation process could build some momentum and lead to a settlement that treats both sides fairly by then. Streetman said she, too, was "hesitantly optimistic" that work would move forward now. The contentious negotiations have drawn large crowds to school board meetings and fiery letters, and even paid ads, on the subject to The Upper Rogue Independent. In the most recent issue of the weekly paper, former school board member and Shady Cove businessman Fred Thomas criticized the union in a paid advertisement that ran on the same page as a letter to the editor signed by 23 bus drivers, who blamed district administrators. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail School union talks down to �nuts, bolts� ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s