HUSD: Negotiations at impasse

HESPERIA • Negotiations between the Hesperia Unified School District and the teachers union have stalled, according to the district superintendent, and an outside party is needed to help close a multi-million dollar budget deficit.

“Bringing in an outside party will allow both sides to have a neutral perspective to hear both teams,” Superintendent Mark McKinney said Friday.

District representatives had been meeting with representatives of the Hesperia Teachers Association in an attempt to close part of a $13 million deficit in the 2010-11 school-year budget.

Ninety percent of the district’s general fund is spent on payroll and benefits, and the district has divided the $13 million deficit among various employee groups based on their total percentage of the district’s work force.

McKinney intends for the district to appeal to the California Public Employment Relations Board for a mediator to come in and jump-start the process.

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