Negotiations between the Lee County School District and the Teachers' Association of Lee County have yet to reach an agreement, leaving many wondering when a resolution will come.
Kevin Daly, president of the Teachers' Association of Lee County, said, "We'd like to have an agreement, but I think you know we there are certain things that our members want us to kind of fight for."
The ongoing discussions center around two main points: providing teachers with nine additional minutes each day during their school schedule and establishing a base pay of approximately $54,000.
Despite back-and-forth negotiations, the parties failed to reach a solution by the end of their recent meeting.
The school district suggested both sides declare an impasse, which would involve hiring outside help to negotiate. However, the Teachers' Association strongly opposes this idea.
"The special magistrate kind of hears both sides, and they make a series of recommendations to the school board, and then the school board gets to decide whether or not they follow what the special magistrate says," Daly said. "So that's like, why would we declare impasse when we understand that the deck is stacked against us? Because it's quite clear that the option that the district has is probably the option the school board wants."
The next meeting between the Lee County School District and the Teachers' Association is scheduled for Monday at 4:30 p.m.