WALDOBORO — Approximately 75 to 100 students staged a sit-in at Medomak Valley High School just as classes were starting for the day Friday, April 12, to show their support for teachers who are seeking pay increases.

School staff did not allow media to go beyond the front office at the school, and did not give a reason for that decision. The school later said that the media wasn't allowed beyond the front office because they are treated the same as the general public. The general public isn't allowed to come into the school during the school day and interact with students; therefore, neither is the media.

Unsuccessful negotiations between a teacher's union and the Maine School Administrative District 40 Board of Directors spurred the students to action. Principal Harold Wilson engaged students in a conversation to answer their many questions, according to Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde.

"They're a good group of kids," Labombarde said. "It's a pretty peaceful group. They're just asking questions."

Labombarde was filling in for the regular School Resource Officer who was off duty at the time to attend to a medical issue. He said he was at the school to support public safety.

An attempt to speak with Principal Wilson was unsuccessful as of 9:15 a.m. He and both assistant principals were busy addressing students' concerns and the daily operations of the school, according to staff.

The teachers' union and the Maine School Administrative District 40 Board of Directors are currently facing off in a year-long dispute over wage increases. Towns served by this school district are Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren and Washington.

Board member Tod Brown, who also serves on the school district's Negotiations Committee, said the board and Medomak Valley Education Association have just begun a fact-finding process between the two parties, a process that is overseen by the Maine Labor Relations Board.

The board offered a 2.6 percent raise in the first year for teachers, followed by a 2.5 percent raise in the second, Brown said. The board also offered incentives for teachers, intended to reward teachers for improved student performance. However, teachers have been hoping for a 3 percent salary increase each year for three years, plus a step in the salary schedule of about 1.5 percent, according to Brown.

"We'd like to do the right thing for them," he said. "But our means are limited."

Mediation between the teachers' union and the board did not work out, Brown said. The panel assigned to the fact-finding process will attempt to draft a recommendation to resolve the issue. The panel includes one person chosen by the board, one person chosen by the teachers' union and another person the two parties agree to represent both parties' interests.

If the panel is unsuccessful in its mission, the next step in the negotiation process is arbitration, according to Brown.

An emailed message from Union resident Cristine Gracie told of student-led protest on April 11: "Show your support for the teachers. Everyone sit and refuse to move. They may threaten suspension or other consequences but if we all hold strong, they can't possibly suspend the whole student body."