COEUR d'ALENE - Teacher contract talks continued in Coeur d'Alene Monday between negotiating teams representing the Coeur d'Alene Education Association and the district's board of trustees.

While the two sides continued moving closer to an agreement, several issues have become sticking points, including a proposal by the CEA, the local chapter of the state teachers union, that calls for the district to pay significantly more toward "release time" for the CEA president.

"It's highly unlikely a majority of the board will be in favor of that," said Tom Hearn, board chair and a member of the board's negotiating team.

The teachers union is proposing that the district hire a part-time teacher to cover one-third of the CEA president's classroom instructional time, rather than continue the current practice of paying a long-term substitute teacher to take over the class while the CEA president is elsewhere working on issues as the teachers union representative.

The district and the CEA currently split the cost of hiring a substitute to cover the union president's time away from the classroom. Each side pays for 38 days at a cost of up to $3,500 each.

The cost to hire a part-time teacher is expected to be as much as $20,000, and the CEA proposes that it be subsidized with budget dollars the district is expected to recoup when employees opt out of the district's health insurance plan. They estimate the employee opt-out will free up about $8,600 that can be directed toward the replacement teacher's contract.

Lake City High School teacher Derek Kohles is preparing to take over as the new CEA president once a contract agreement has been reached. He will replace longtime CEA leader Kristi Milan in the position.

The teachers union representatives said they are making the request because Lake City's block schedule will affect instructional time continuity for students more than the traditional bell schedule does. Kohles, an English teacher, said he has found a substitute teacher he feels will serve his students well.

"She's not willing to do it for long-term sub pay," Kohles told the board's negotiating team.

Long-term substitutes are paid $80 per day. Retired teachers receive $90 per day for long-term assignments.

"It's an issue that I wish there was another way around," said board vice-chair Christa Hazel, also a negotiating team member.

Kohles asked the board's negotiating team if their issue was with the amount of money it will cost for the replacement teacher or if they have an ideological problem with the district paying for the CEA president to do work on behalf of the teachers.

"It's both for me," Hazel said. "My philosophy would be that I'd rather see that money benefiting every student in that school." Both sides agreed to continue the discussion when they meet again Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Lakes Magnet Middle School to continue negotiating.