Princeton Public Schools and Teachers Union to Continue Mediation Next Month

A mediator met with representatives from the Princeton Public Schools and teachers for more than six hours last night to try to work out a new contract for teachers, but an agreement has not been reached yet.

The mediator met with the two bargaining teams in separate rooms from 5 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.

“Some progress was made by the end of the night but we remain far from an agreement on salary, benefits, and premium contributions,” said John Baxter, a member of the negotiation team for teachers.

A school board representative said both parties have agreed not to discuss details of the negotiations.

“We can say that the parties had a frank exchange of views last night, and while there are still open issues between us, we feel we are getting closer to an agreement,” Board Member Patrick Sullivan said.

The next meeting with the mediator is scheduled for January 14th.

Teachers have been working without a new contract since June. The union wants a higher salary increase and lower health insurance contributions. The school board says there is not enough money to give the teachers what they want.