Negotiations began today between the Jefferson County School District and the Jefferson County Education Association, which is the district’s teachers union.
Both sides are working to come up with a four-year contract for the district’s 4,700 teachers.
The contract is expected to address, among other things, teacher pay, employee and management rights, employee leave, class size and evaluations.
Eight-five percent of the district’s $605 million budget goes towards pay and benefits.
The district has hired a negotiator as part of its team as it heads into talks with the union.
District officials said they hope Steve Cabot, chairman of the Cabot Institute, will speed up negotiations so that it will last days, rather than weeks.
Cabot was hired by the district for a period that began in October 2006 and runs through March 2007, for up to $145,000 in fees.
