POST FALLS - Although the teachers union and the administration of the Post Falls School District remain far apart on salary increases, both parties believe they can reach an agreement soon.

"We have an offer on the table that would provide a 2.15 percent increase to the salary schedule," said Superintendent Jerry Keane. "But as in most years, the main issue is salary."

Jake Smulkowski, chief negotiator and vice president of the Post Falls Education Association, said the association is asking for a 5.4 percent increase in salaries.

Keane said a 2.15 percent salary increase would cost the district $369,800 plus the steps and lanes amount of $280,000 for a total annual increase of $649,800. He said a 5.4 percent increase would cost the district $928,800 plus the steps and lanes amount of $280,000 for a total of $1,208,800.

Salary increases would be across the board for regular certified professional employees, but classified employees are not part of the negotiated agreement.

The teachers and school district officials began negotiating salary increases on May 27, and have met a total of four times.

"We've made progress each time," Smulkowski said. "I feel that I would be remiss to not point out the strength of the relationship that the administration of the Post Falls School District has with its teachers, including the members of the Post Falls Education Association.

"Although we remain far apart on some issues, I also believe the relationship between the PFEA and district negotiating teams is a strong one, built on mutual trust and courtesy."

The next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., July 7, at the Post Falls High School Library.

"Hopefully we can get some momentum going at that meeting," he said. "Frankly I think we are in a really good space right now."

Keane said the negotiations got a slow start this year due to end-of-the-school-year schedules and the complexity involved with the statewide career ladder changes the legislature made this spring.

"We are optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement that serves both our valuable staff and the district," Keane said. "We do not have any insurance issues this year. Status quo."

He said they have also tweaked the contact a bit to clean up some language and make the contract more clear.

Keane said extra-curricular salaries would also increase under the district's proposal because those salaries are tied to the base salary.

He said any salary increase would be for all base salaries across the board and education and experience steps would be extra. Keane also said all of the salary increases that were frozen during the recession have been restored.

"Post Falls has a small group that were hired during the recession that we needed to restore this coming year," Keane said, adding certified salaries were identified as the fourth highest priority in the budget prioritization meeting among staff, administrators, parents and board members in April.

Smulkowski said the PFEA has tentatively agreed with the district on "a number of pieces of language that clarify, elucidate, or update things in the contract."

He agrees that salary increases are the biggest hurdle at the moment and working out how that would work with the new state career ladder rules.

"This year was a bit different from previous years, as the mechanism for salary-based apportionment from the state changed significantly," Smulkowski said. "This, coupled with typical end-of-the-year tight schedules, led to a bit of delay for the negotiations to start."

"I am certain that we will be able to come up with a compensation plan and contract that helps Post Falls to remain competitive and to retain and attract the best teachers around," Smulkowski said, adding the last thing they have to deal with is salary increases. He hopes that can be settled by the end of summer.