By Lori Ehde
Teachers in Luverne School District have been working without a contract since July 1.
After two mediation sessions and another one on the horizon, negotiators are still far from an agreement.
Contracts are typically signed in the fall, after the legislative session is complete and after school districts know how much state funding they'll receive.
Nearly all Minnesota contracts are usually settled by year end because of a Jan. 15 deadline that if violated causes districts to lose $25 per student in state aid.
This year, with the legislative wrap-up months overdue, contract negotiations were delayed and the state approved a one-time waiver of the deadline.
Consequently Luverne joins three quarters of the districts statewide yet to reach a settlement on teacher contracts.
At a time when school budgets have been steadily cut, the prolonged negotiations have made conditions ripe for strikes statewide.
"It's been in the back of people's minds," said Gordie Hansen, co-president of the Luverne Education Association. "The word (strike) has come up a couple times."
Negotiations haven't soured to that point in Luverne, but Hansen said teaching without a contract isn't an ideal situation, particularly for staff members trying to plan for retirements.
The last two-year contract expired June 30. Terms of the new contract would be retroactive to July 1.
The Jan. 15 deadline encourages timely settlements, but according to the Minnesota School Boards Association, the deadline gives teachers an unfair advantage in bargaining.
Luverne Superintendent Vince Schaefer agrees.
"The penalty is only on the district," he said. "I don't think that makes it a fair playing field. If they're going to take money away from children because we don't have an agreement, I don't think that's fair."
He said there should be some debate over not reinstating the deadline.
"Does it help to settle in a timely way, or does it force you to settle on an agreement you're not comfortable with?" Schaefer said.
In Luverne's negotiations, hot points are similar to those statewide: health insurance, salary and retirement benefits.
Schaefer and Luverne School Board Chair Don Bryan will report on negotiations at tonight's School Board meeting.