Decatur School Board Refuses to Talk.

On Monday, the Decatur Education Association received a letter from Superintendent Elmer "Mac" McPherson refusing to set a date for the next bargaining session, The board has demanded that teachers accept a temporary settlement for the remainder of the school year, with the salary increase agreed to previously by both sides. They have also demanded that teachers accept a three-year contract offer that does not include changes to the workday that teachers have proposed.

"The letter sent to the DEA clearly indicates that only surrender by the teachers will cause the board to show up for a meeting that would bring students and teachers in from the cold," said Alida Graham, association president, via an e-mailed news release. "This letter shows the uncaring attitude that this board has for the students, the parents and the teachers in our district."

The only remaining issue standing in the way of a settlement, Graham and board President Jan Mandernach said in separate interviews Tuesday, is the definition of the workday. Salary, benefits and other issues have already been ironed out or taken off the table.

Graham reiterated that on Wednesday.

"There is one issue on the table; virtually everything else is settled," she said. "We can be in school within hours if the board will come to the table with an open mind and develop with us a compromise that will get students and their teachers back in school."