The Knoxville School Board heard opening statements for bargaining at their meeting Monday.

The statements were for interest based bargaining between the Knoxville Education Association and the Knoxville Community School District, which is a modern type of bargaining the district has been involved with for several years. The two sides come together to brainstorm different ways to make working for the school district more appealing, including wages, benefits packages and more. The two sides are made up of five teachers that represent the Knoxville Education Association and the district is represented by five people who include two school board members. Superintendent Cassi Pearson says the two sides look out for the best interests of students, staff, and tax payers.

“Our sessions really focus around how do we find win wins, how do we offer the very best education experience for students, how do we make sure we are treating all of staff right so we can recruit and retain the best of the best, and how can we make sure we are fiscally responsible to our taxpayers because all of those are equally important.”

Hear more from Pearson on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.