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Hainesport board says teacher contract talks move to state fact-finder after mediation stalls
Summary
The Hainesport Township Board of Education reported Nov. 23 that mediation with the Hainesport Education Association produced no substantive progress; the parties will proceed to a state-appointed fact finder while teachers continue to be paid under the expired contract, the board said.
The Hainesport Township Board of Education said on Nov. 23 that contract negotiations with the Hainesport Education Association (HEA) have advanced to a state-supervised fact-finding stage after bargaining and mediation produced no substantial progress.
Board President Michael Morelli read a statement to open the new-business portion of the meeting outlining the negotiations timeline: bargaining began in March 2021, the previous HEA contract expired June 30, 2021, and the board has continued to pay employees under the expired agreement as required by law. Morelli said the board has presented proposals intended to balance student needs, the tax burden on the community and district financial realities but that the HEA has rejected those proposals.
The statement explained that mediation did not yield a settlement and that a state-appointed fact finder will next review data and prepare a recommended settlement; neither side is bound to accept the fact finder’s recommendation. Morelli said the board remains hopeful the process will yield a pathway to resolution and reiterated the district’s position that its offer is fair and fiscally responsible.
Nut graf: The shift to a state-supervised fact finder escalates the negotiation process: the fact finder reviews financial and operational data from both sides and issues a nonbinding recommendation that can influence final outcomes or subsequent impasse procedures. The board’s statement emphasized legal constraints — district staff continue to receive salaries and benefits under the expired contract — and framed the board’s proposals as attempts to reconcile educational needs with fiscal responsibility.
Board members did not read a counterstatement from the HEA at the meeting and no bargaining representatives for the union addressed the board during the session. The district did not specify dates for the fact-finding phase or whether the fact finder’s report will be made public; the board said only that the next stage would begin soon.
The meeting record shows the board will continue negotiation efforts; the statement concluded with the board saying it will remain at the bargaining table in good faith while the fact-finding process proceeds.
The board adjourned without taking new vote action on the contract at the Nov. 23 meeting; further procedural steps will depend on the fact finder’s schedule and any subsequent bargaining activity.
