By Ryan Gueningsman
Managing Editor

DELANO, MN – At a meeting Feb. 9, a settlement was not reached between the Delano Teachers Association (DTA) and the Delano School District.

The next step appears to be a mediation session, scheduled for Tuesday, March 20, according to Delano School District lead negotiator Peter Brasket.

No additional meetings are scheduled between now and then. There is no deadline by which an agreement must be in place, as there has been in the past.

At a school board meeting Jan. 23, Brasket said the proposal from the district remains $508,797, or $3,630 per educator, which is a 4.99 percent increase over a two-year period. He said the DTA proposal is $668,036, or $4,771 per educator, which is a 6.63 percent increase over the two-year period.

DTA negotiators include Jim VanCura, Chad Wagner, Jim Hall, and Tory Spanier. VanCura and Wagner are co-leads.

The school board negotiation team includes Brasket as lead, Amy Johnson, and Sarah Baker. Mick Waldsburger, the legal counsel for the school, also sits in.

Every two years, school districts negotiate contracts with educators.