When attending Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meetings, teachers supporting the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) have worn red-colored clothing.  That changed at Wednesday’s board session.  HSEA supporters wore black clothes.

Before the meeting, the HSEA team charged with negotiating a contract with the HSE District updated teachers on the first two days of negotiations.  On Monday of this week, the HSEA team submitted the first proposal. The administration’s response was not positive.  According to the HSEA team, district officials admonished the teachers’ proposal, “scolded” them and said HSEA, you either just don’t understand or don’t believe what (HSE administration) is saying administrators “are not kidding around and that (HSEA) needed to go home and think about it.”

On Tuesday, the talks began again with a proposal from the district that, according to HSEA, did not move at all.  The teachers then decided to begin movement in the talks by “cutting down in half” what it wants in the pact.  There were productive discussions, but the HSEA team says the district continues not to move at all in these talks.

Given all that, the bargaining team’s goal is to have an agreement by Wednesday next week.  If there is no agreement by the deadline, a mediator will be brought in to help bring about an agreement.  HSEA says it does not want to go into fact-finding, where the courts determine the contract provisions.