(a) Collective bargaining shall commence at least 90 days prior to the expiration date of any current collective bargaining agreement or, in the case of a newly certified exclusive representative, within a reasonable time after certification. (b) Negotiating sessions, including strategy meetings of public school employers, mediation and the deliberative process of binding interest arbitrators and arbitrators, shall be exempt from Chapter 100 of Title 29. Hearings conducted by binding interest arbitrators shall be open to the public. (c) For those terms and conditions that are negotiated pursuant to state law, the public school employer and the exclusive bargaining representative shall negotiate written grievance procedures ending in binding arbitration by means of which bargaining unit employees, through their collective bargaining representatives, may appeal the interpretation or application of any term or terms of an existing collective bargaining agreement. The written grievance procedures shall be included in any agreement entered into between the public school employer and the exclusive bargaining representative, and shall include: (1) A provision to limit binding arbitration to claims that the terms of the collective bargaining agreement have been violated, misinterpreted or misapplied; (2) A provision to prohibit claims relating to the following matters from being processed through binding arbitration: a. Dismissal or nonrenewal of employees covered by Chapter 14 of this title; b. Dismissal or nonrenewal of employees not covered by Chapter 14 of this title, unless the controlling collective bargaining agreement provides that such matters are subject to binding arbitration; c. Delaware law; d. Rules and regulations of the Delaware Department of Education or State Board of Education; e. The content of or conclusions reached in employee observations and evaluations unless the controlling collective bargaining agreement for employees not covered by Chapter 14 of this title provides that such matters are subject to binding arbitration; f. Federal law; g. Rules and regulations of the United States Department of Education; h. Policies of the local school board; and i. Matters beyond the scope of the public school employer's authority; (3) A provision to select arbitrators by lottery from a panel of qualified arbitrators designated by the Public Employment Relations Board. In designating the panel, the Public Employment Relations Board shall prefer former judges who served on a Delaware constitutional court or on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, and shall supplement the panel by adding qualified labor arbitrators; (4) A provision to empower the Public Employment Relations Board to administer arbitrations pursuant to regulations adopted by the Public Employment Relations Board; (5) A provision to require that disputes relating to whether a matter is arbitrable be ruled upon by the arbitrator prior to hearing the merits of the dispute, and, if the arbitrator determines that the dispute is arbitrable, a provision to require that the same arbitrator schedule a second hearing to hear the merits of the dispute; (6) A provision to assess against the losing party the arbitrator's fees and expenses incurred in determining whether a dispute is arbitrable; and (7) A provision to require that the arbitrator's fees and expenses incurred in deciding the merits of a dispute be evenly divided between the parties. (d) Any contract or agreement reached between a public school district and any exclusive representative organization shall be for a minimum period of 2 years from the effective date of such contract or agreement, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the public school employer and the exclusive representative. (e) No collective bargaining agreement shall be valid or enforceable if its implementation would be inconsistent with any statutory limitation on the public school employer's funds, spending or budget, or would otherwise be contrary to law. (f) Public school employers shall file with the Board a copy of any agreements that have been negotiated with public school employee representatives following the consummation of negotiations. The Board shall maintain a current file of all such agreements.
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