 The District and WTA currently are at impasse after attempting to reach agreement during nine collective bargaining sessions despite the good faith efforts of both parties.  The District and WTA did reach tentative agreements on several contract articles however.

 The District is committed to continuing to do its best in attempting to resolve all outstanding differences between the District and WTA.  The District is concerned with the total cost of compensation (salary + benefits) and its ability to pay for an ongoing increase in teachers’ total compensation

 Budget concerns arise due to:  The dramatic changes in the State’s method by of funding Districts,  The wide fluctuations in available funding due to the State’s boom to bust approach to balancing income and expenditures, and  The difficulty in making budgetary income projections for more than a year or two in the future.

 The District recognizes that its teachers work hard for the benefit of the families and children we all serve.  The District also recognizes that teachers deserve to be paid fairly for the work that they do.  The District is also concerned for the financial health of the District, not just in the short term but the long term as well.

 The District’s chief concern is avoiding a structural deficit.  The Board and administration have worked for years to get out of deficit spending  Based upon comprehensive, objective, and detailed comparative analyses, the District has attempted to provide a compensation package that is both competitive and fiscally sustainable.

 WTA and WUSD have differing opinions on the make up and affordability of salary/benefit increases.  Mediation with a third party is scheduled for the end of April in an attempt to resolve our differences.  Both WTA and WUSD hope to move through the mediation process quickly, finding an amicable solution.