It’s official: Pasco teachers file impasse paperwork

After months of talks, the United School Employees of Pasco announced a week ago that they failed to reach agreement in four areas of the teachers' contract: performance evaluations, criteria for involuntary transfers, training at turnaround schools, and distribution of salary increases.

(They agreed on the amount, 2 percent overall, but not on who gets what.)

Now the USEP has made it formal, filing a notice of impasse with the Public Employee Relations Commission.

In the letter, the union asked for a list of possible magistrates who would be available to hear the dispute and help reach a resolution. The USEP and district would have to agree on a selection, and then set meeting times.

Going to impasse does not prevent representatives from the sides from trying to work out an agreement in advance of an official ruling. Both groups have said they plan to keep talking even after reaching an official stalemate.

The USEP school-related personnel bargaining unit concluded its negotiations and is not part of the ongoing discussions.