Mercer County School District Teachers Contract Expires, Negotiation Talks Continue

As contract negotiations continue for teachers in the Mercer County School District, their current contract has expired.

The previous contract ran out on June 30.

With the deal expired, teachers will be paid the previous year’s salary until a new deal is signed. If a new deal is reached during the 2025-26 school year that includes pay raises, staff would be back paid the money they missed out on dating back to the start of the school year.

The Mercer County Education Association (MCEA), which is the union that represents Mercer County’s teachers, says the district offers less compensation for teachers than the neighboring Rockridge and Sherrard School Districts and the lowest compensation in the Regional Office of Education (ROE) District #33, which includes United, West Central, Monmouth-Roseville, Galesburg, ROWVA, Williamsfield, Knoxville, and Abingdon-Avon.

Mercer County Junior High teacher Monty Smith, who is on the MCEA negotiating team, and Mercer County Schools superintendent Tim Farquer provided an update on talks last week after the school district’s June Board of Education meeting.

Both sides say a teacher strike is a possibility when the school year starts in August but are committed to working out a deal.

The next negotiating meeting between MCEA and the school district is Monday, July 7.