LRSD, union talks take 1-day break

Negotiations between the leaders of the Little Rock School District and its employee union, the Little Rock Education Association, will take a break of sorts today and resume Friday, a spokesman for the Little Rock district said Wednesday.

The negotiating teams will use today to work independently, said the district’s spokesman, Pamela Smith, before they convene at week’s end.

The teams led by Superintendent Mike Poore and association President Teresa Knapp Gordon reached no substantive agreements in their privately held sessions Tuesday and Wednesday.

At issue is Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key’s request for concessions from the union on statutorily based employment protections for employees in the 22 Little Rock schools that recently received D and F state letter grades.

Key acts in place of the school board in the state-controlled district.

Key has said a waiver of the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act, which would ultimately require approval from the state Board of Education, would make it easier and quicker to fire poorly performing employees in academically struggling schools.

Association leaders have objected to the waiver but did agree to return to the bargaining table.

The expiration date for the negotiated agreement for the 2017-18 school year has been extended from Oct. 31 to Nov. 14, to allow for ongoing negotiations.