On March 6 the Royal School District and Royal Education Association agreed to request the assistance of a state mediator to reach a suitable contract between the district and its teachers.

The current contract is set to expire on August 31. Both parties have had four productive bargaining sessions but are having difficulty reaching resolutions on several issues; in particular compensation and other matters with fiscal implications.

It is important to note that teachers' salaries are provided by the state. The district values and respects the dedicated work of its teaching and professional staff and recognizes that the state has consistently reduced and frozen school employee compensation since 2008.

The district intends to continue to provide an appropriate and competitive compensation package within the contract under discussion. The district weathered the recent recession with no staff layoffs and back-filled various state salary reductions in an effort to protect the earning power of staff members.

In addition, the district is also obligated to be fiscally responsible in order to maintain a quality education for all students in our community. While the district has healthy reserves, it is important to recognize that it faces significant facility and program expenses in the next several years and is prudently assembling these funds to meet those expenses.

The district will soon be constructing a new intermediate school building scheduled to open in August of 2015. The operational costs of a new building require careful planning and savings.

In addition, the state's adoption of the Common Core Learning Standards will also require significant added purchases of curriculum materials and professional development over the next several years.

District and Association representatives will contact the Public Employment Relations Commission within the next week to request a state mediator. This state mediator will then schedule time to meet with both parties to facilitate progress toward an agreement.

The district looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the association to conclude negotiations with a new, responsible, and fair contract for its teaching staff to ensure a sound, quality education for the students of Royal City.