By Mandy McFarland Editor
NAPPANEE — The May 5 mediation session between the Wa-Nee Education Association and the Wa-Nee Community Schools board of trustees failed to produce satisfying results.
The ISTA (Indiana State Teachers Association) released information last week that a new date of May 20 has been set, at which time the two parties will reconvene and again try to reach an agreement.

“In the 30 mediations in which I have been involved, settlements have been achieved in just one mediation session on just two occasions,” ISTA UniServ director Kent Kimpel said in the release.
Controversy has arisen between the school board and Wa-Nee teachers, parents, volunteers and others over teacher contracts and over possible program cuts. According to Wa-Nee Education Association President Jim Mattern, the board offered Wa-Nee teachers a zero-percent pay raise for the school year and an increase in insurance rates and has considered increasing their general fund by cutting programs. Some programs they have considered cutting include elementary P.E., art and music and high school business, foreign language and several others.
While the initial mediation meeting was in session, a group of more than 100 teachers, parents, volunteers, students and others from the community joined forces and marched from the parking lot of NorthWood High School to the front of the Wa-Nee Administration Building to voice their fears and frustrations. ISTA representatives addressed the crowds and assured them they would do what they could to protect their jobs.
A similar situation arose in Bremen, just a few miles west of Nappanee. After several months of negotiations and marches similar to the one in Wa-Nee, an agreement was reached that satisfied both parties.