Plymouth-Canton Community Schools teachers are due back in buildings Aug. 25, but the district and its teachers union still have no deal.

The Board of Education held a closed-session collective bargaining meeting Aug. 4 at the E.J. McClendon Educational Center in Plymouth — at least the third such session since February, according to the meeting agenda and board minutes. As of Wednesday, Aug. 5, no tentative agreement or public statement has emerged.

The negotiations between the district and the Plymouth-Canton Education Association, which represents P-CCS teachers, have stretched since at least February. The board has documented closed sessions on Feb. 10 and March 2, with Aug. 4 marking at least the third session in this contract cycle; additional undocumented sessions may have occurred between March and August. The PCEA last ratified a contract at the board's Sept. 24, 2024 meeting, meaning the current round covers a new agreement cycle.

The talks unfold against a difficult budget picture. Jill Minnick told the board at its May 26 meeting that approximately $10 million in cuts are needed for the 2026-27 fiscal year to maintain the board's 15% fund balance target, with an additional $8 million in annual reductions projected for FY28 and FY29. Enrollment is expected to drop by about 75 students, though per-pupil state aid is set to rise $250 to $10,300.

At a June 9 public hearing on the budget, residents spoke in support of preserving nursing positions, media center paraprofessionals, assistive technology staff and copy paraprofessionals, signaling that staffing levels are a central concern alongside teacher pay.

The specific terms under negotiation are not public. Michigan's Open Meetings Act exempts collective bargaining sessions from disclosure, and neither Superintendent Dr. Monica Merritt nor Board President Anupam Sidhu has commented publicly on the status of talks.

The district serves approximately 16,000 students across 23 schools in Plymouth, Plymouth Township and Canton Township. With teachers due back in three weeks, the window for a settled contract before the school year begins is narrowing.

The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11. No agenda for that session has been published, and no additional closed session has been publicly announced.