After a tough week of negotiations in a teachers strike, neither side in the Willapa Valley School District has indicated they’re ready or willing to compromise much. Classes were canceled all week and athletic events were rescheduled to be away from home.

On Friday, the teachers’ union proposed a 6.1% raise in the first year of a three-year contract, down slightly from the 6.25% they asked for on Monday. All week, the district has maintained its 2% proposal for year one based on an inflation measure. While both sides will say the standoff isn’t all about money, parents of the districts 340 students should prepare for schools to be closed until the two sides get closer together on the numbers.

“The sticking point is the base salary proposals,” said Superintendent Nancy Morris on Friday.

“Both sides are still trying to come to a compromise,” she said.

The union says the school district can afford it right now.

The majority of districts in Washington keep 10% of their annual budget in their account at the end of the year for “rainy day” expenses, according to Jamie Howell, Willapa Valley Education Association Vice President. She said Willapa Valley had a 38% end fund balance last year according to the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, a $2.2 million surplus.

“Historically, when strikes like this occur, it’s either because there’s not money, or it’s because it’s a battle of power and will. Clearly, here there is money,” said Dale Folkerts, Communications Organizer for the Washington Education Association.

The union’s proposal would cost the district $160,630 for the first year in basic salary costs without benefits.

The district’s proposal would pay a new teacher with a bachelor’s degree $45,801. The maximum for a teacher with a master’s degree and 16 years of experience would be $86,682. Willapa Valley teachers received a 23.7% raise on average at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year after a lawsuit over state school funding awarded funds to every district in the state.

On when parents can expect classes to resume, “That is really up to the district. We’re ready to go back to work tomorrow. We’re negotiating, but they’re not willing to compromise,” Howell said Thursday.

In a report to the school board on Wednesday, Morris said “the union does not appear sincere about trying to settle the contract quickly.”

If the contract isn’t settled on Friday, Athletic Director Jay Pearson will began rescheduling next week’s contests to be away, said Morris.

Besides teacher salaries, the union’s other top issues include classroom safety and special education support.

“When special education cases are overloaded, you can’t keep the kids safe and you can’t fully provide them with the education that they need,” said Howell who is a Willapa Valley Middle and High School special education teacher.

Teachers in the district have been working without a contract this fall after negotiations broke down before the start of the school year.