MAR LIN - The Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 came to a "tentative agreement" in contract talks with teacher union representatives Tuesday, James G. Caravan, Schuylkill Haven, the school board's solicitor, said Wednesday.
The mediator, William D. Gross, director of the Bureau of Mediation at the state Department of Labor & Industry, Harrisburg, was present for the session, Caravan said.
"We did reach a tentative agreement, in large part thanks to the efforts of Mr. Gross. That is all I am prepared to state until the agreement is placed in writing, reviewed by all parties and approved by both the union and the IU board," Caravan said.
The IU's 87 teachers have been working without a contract since June 30, 2012, when their three-year contract expired.
The IU board and education association began negotiations Jan. 9, 2012. On May 25, the teachers union asked the state Labor Relations Board to appoint a fact finder. On Aug. 6, the IU 29 board rejected the fact finder's report.
The parties met to negotiate at the Maple Avenue Campus on Jan. 22, Feb. 8 and March 20.
Jamie Kuehn, a social studies teacher and president of the IU 29 Education Association, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Diane M. Niederriter, IU 29 executive director, referred all questions about negotiations to Caravan.