Contract talks are at full throttle as both district is currently negotiating with both the Centennial Education Association (CEA, the teacher union) and the Oregon School Employee Association (OSEA, the support staff union).

Teacher negotiations continue tonight from noon to 5pm at CMS.

Superintendent Sam Breyer believes that the process is going well.  “We are still really early in the process, but the collaboration is great,” commented Breyer.

The use of Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) is key for the negotiation between the CEA, OSEA, and the Centennial School District.

It’s still early in the process, but both sides have noticed that IBB seems to be a more agreeable approach to negotiations than traditional bargaining.

There are several points on the table from both the CEA and the district including financial compensation.

According to OSEA President Vicki Nelson, the goal is to collaboratively come up with a bargaining agreement that reflects the hard work of their members and responds to the needs of both classified members and the district.

Some problems the OSEA faces are finding a balance between district and employee needs, working within budgetary restrictions, and responding to the challenges and satisfying the needs of all classified staff because they hold so many different positions.

As more meetings occur, all groups will develop a more clear focus on their needs and issues in the district.

The next meeting with the OSEA will be on March 2. The teams will continue to meet twice a month until further notice.