DALLAS TWP. — Students in the Dallas School District may not see their school year interrupted by a teachers strike for a second time.
A proposed work stoppage set to begin Feb. 27 now looks unlikely, thanks to progress made in talks between the union and school board, according to John Holland, the lead negotiator for teachers.
“There is a very good chance that strike may not happen,” Holland said.
Recent negotiations between the board and the teachers union resulted in progress, according to representatives for both sides.
The Dallas Education Association presented the board with a counter-proposal Wednesday based on a previous district offer, said Vito DeLuca, attorney for the district.
“A lot of work went into their proposal,” DeLuca said. “It was a good session.”
DeLuca refused to disclose any details surrounding the union’s offer.
District business office personnel will review the union’s proposal before the next scheduled negotiation Tuesday, DeLuca said.
Holland also described the meeting as “positive.”
“I think both parties are much closer to an agreement than ever before,” he said.
The Dallas School District teachers have not had a contract since August 2015.
Contract negotiations began in 2014, but issues regarding teachers’ salaries and health care remained unresolved, resulting in the union striking on Nov. 14. The strike ended on Dec. 19.
According to state law, teachers can strike twice in one year.
The first strike must end in time to complete 180 days of academic instruction by June 15. The second must end in time to complete 180 days by June 30.
On that first day back in the classrooms, union President Michael Cherinka gave Superintendent Thomas Duffy a notice of the intent to strike again on Feb. 27.