Northwest Regional Education Service District (NWRESD) and the Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA) have been bargaining toward a successor agreement for our classified employees. NWRESD’s bargaining team has requested the assistance of a state mediator as the next step in that process.
Mediation is a standard element in Oregon’s collective bargaining process.
It is common for parties to reach an agreement during mediation. A neutral, state-appointed mediator helps both parties identify areas of common ground, work through outstanding issues and continue moving toward an agreement. The mediator does not make decisions for either party or determine the terms of an agreement.
Our bargaining teams have spent significant time at the table, including over the summer. To date, the bargaining teams have met 12 times and three articles have reached tentative agreement, while 25 articles remain open. We believe mediation can provide additional support to help make progress on the remaining articles.
Our approach to bargaining
We are committed to ensuring every student—particularly students who have been historically marginalized or experience disability—has access to the services and support that help them learn, belong and succeed.
Delivering on that commitment requires investing in the staff who make these services possible across classrooms, programs and operations. It also requires maintaining strong partnerships with the school districts that rely on our services and making responsible, sustainable financial decisions so we can continue serving students, families and communities over the long term. These responsibilities are deeply connected. In many programs, more than 85% of expenditures support salaries and benefits, with the remaining funds supporting the materials, technology, facilities and other resources needed to operate programs. For example, in the Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education program 86.5% of the budget is personnel costs.
Unlike a school district, we also operate in an environment where a significant portion of our services depends on the purchasing decisions of our component school districts. Many of those districts are navigating declining enrollment, budget reductions and their own financial uncertainty. When district purchasing shrinks, we receive less revenue to support our programming. We must plan for factors such as enrollment changes in per-student-funded programs, changing demands from partners, new legislative or regulatory requirements, and broader economic conditions.
Collective bargaining is one of the important ways we work to align competitive compensation and supportive working conditions with the long-term financial sustainability necessary to fulfill our mission.
As we enter mediation, our goal remains an agreement that values and supports our classified employees, allows NWRESD to remain a viable partner to the school districts we serve, and protects our ability to deliver high-quality services to students and families—especially those who depend on them most.
We remain committed to bargaining in good faith, searching for common ground and using the mediation process constructively to move toward an agreement.
Learn more about the bargaining process on nwresd.org.
