The school board's perspective

The Eaton Rapids Public Schools board has been working with the teachers' union to resolve the contract issue.  Multiple negotiation meetings and mediation sessions have been held over the past year or so, and some progress has been made (updates on negotiation progress can be found on ERPS's website).  The biggest obstacle in the way of giving the teachers a raise is simply the school's budget constraints; attempts to enact millages to get more money for the school have been met with resistance from some members of the general public, meaning that there hasn't been much left in the budget to put toward salary increases.  That being said, the teachers and the board are working in tandem to resolve the issue.

The teachers' perspective

The teachers in the Eaton Rapids Public Schools system are dissatisfied with their contract, and have been for some time now.  They've been pushing for several changes - mainly a salary raise, as they haven't received one for the past several years - and have been met with mixed successes thus far.  Although most of the contract negotiation process happens in non-public meeting sessions, several teachers have worked to increase the visibility of the issue to the general public (both online and offline). However, the board and the teachers' union continue to work together to find a solution that's acceptable to both sides.