The ongoing negotiations between Ketchikan teachers and the school district over teacher contracts is headed to mediation.

The school district and the Ketchikan Education Association union began in mid-April and brought both sides together to discuss the issues holding up the contracts.  Both sides requested mediation to resolve the issues.  Many of the teachers familiar with the negotiations spoke publicly about the issues and later, board members discussed what was talked about during the latest meeting.

According to one teacher from the district, Ketchikan teachers pay more for health insurance that other teachers in the area and have a higher deductible and out-of-pocket minimum.  According to this teacher, other teachers pay only $25 per month and have just a $350 deductible and $1500 out of pocket expense.   That same teacher also spoke about the quality of the insurance offered by Ketchikan and said salaries are lower, as well.

According to the Ketchikan school superintendent, teacher salaries in the district are the 11^th highest across 40 districts.   Some would prefer not to refer to the average salary in the area in comparison because every district is different and employs teachers with various levels of experience and credentials.

The teachers who spoke publicly about the negotiations said that pay and benefits are an important part of attracting qualified candidates to the area.

Though some have called for the upcoming mediation sessions to be held in public, the board president explained current ground rules require negotiations be done privately, and both sides would have to agree to transparency before a change could be made.