The Mercer County School District and the union representing its teachers are scheduled to meet again with a mediator on Monday as contract negotiations continue for district staff.
The meeting comes just three days before the first day of school in the Mercer County School District and five days after the first meeting with a mediator last Wednesday.
Mercer County Education Association (MCEA) spokesperson Monty Smith says the union hopes to reach a deal with the district on Monday, but it will continue to do what’s best for the union body.
Teachers in the Mercer County School District are currently without a contract for the new school year after the previous deal expired on June 30. With the deal expired, teachers will be paid the previous year’s salary until a new deal is signed.
Smith said district staff plan to begin the school year as normal if a deal isn’t reached.
For a teachers’ union to legally strike in Illinois, mediation must be attempted and deemed unsuccessful, the union must have an expired contract, and the union must issue the school district a 10-day formal notice of intent to strike.
The first day of school in the Mercer County School District is Thursday.