UPDATED July 6, 2026, 5:35 pm
After returning to the negotiating table for just one day on Thursday, Wichita Public Schools and the local teachers union have reached a stalemate in teacher contract talks.
The two parties on Thursday afternoon declared an impasse in their negotiations. That means a federal mediator will now step in to broker the talks, and future meetings will be closed to the public.
In a Facebook post, United Teachers of Wichita cites teacher compensation, planning time and a lack of flexibility on weekend graduation duties as key sticking points.
"We have to ask ourselves whether the BOE is truly listening to the needs of our educators and giving them the time they need to be successful," the post reads. "If the BOE truly does not have additional money to invest in educators, then it should be willing to invest in their time."
The district's negotiating team had indicated last month that it was moving to declare an impasse but briefly reversed course at the school board's direction.
In an email to WPS staff on Thursday, a spokesperson for the district said the two parties reached agreements in a number of areas, but other proposals "have respectively been acknowledged as unresolved and without additional room for movement."
"... We want to assure you that we will continue to work together to reach a mutual agreement on a contract for the upcoming school year," the email reads. "Throughout the sessions, both teams have demonstrated support of WPS educators and the district is confident that this will continue to be true."
The Wichita school district is the largest in Kansas, with about 4,000 teachers.
ORIGINAL STORY, July 1, 2026 — Wichita school district reverses course and will continue contract talks with teachers union
A team of negotiators representing Wichita Public Schools will continue contract talks on Thursday with the local teachers union.
United Teachers of Wichita says the school board directed its negotiators to return to the table. That comes after district representatives notified the union last month that they were declaring an impasse.
“The BOE team's chief negotiator informed us last night that the BOE has directed its team to return to negotiations rather than proceed to (an) impasse,” reads a post on the union’s Facebook page.
An impasse would have meant a federal mediator stepping in to broker the talks. The meetings would have also been closed to the public.
But with the district’s negotiating team reversing course, the meetings will remain open.
Key sticking points thus far in negotiations include teacher planning time, student behavior and pay.
A spokesperson for the Wichita school district confirmed on Thursday that the district has not filed an impasse petition.
Thursday’s negotiations begin at 9 a.m. at the Alvin Morris Administrative Center.
Wichita Public Schools is the largest school district in Kansas, with about 4,000 teachers and 45,000 students.
