A second state mediator was sent to Kent this past weekend to help work toward an agreement on a new contract.
The second mediator was requested by the Kent Education Association and had been scheduled to arrive in Kent Saturday afternoon.
According to Cathy Callahan, executive director of the Public Employment Relations Commission, Katrina Boedecker was assigned to assist Guy Coss, who has been working with the two bargaining teams for nearly two weeks.
The state-supplied mediators do not have the authority to compel either side to reach an agreement or accept any item, but instead provide fresh sets of eyes that may be able to better clarify the the positions and proposals of both bargaining teams, as well as offer suggestions to help move negotiations forward.
The mediators generally have been working with each bargaining team individually.
Callahan said it is not unusual for a second mediator to be sent to a difficult bargaining session.
“Sometimes we find it helps to have extra resources,” Callahan said.
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