Away from the table

The school board has stopped negotiating with the teachers' union in Rutherford County.

A Rutherford County school administrator notified the union president last week that negotiations are on hold until after the General Assembly addresses collective bargaining. The two groups were close to forging a three-year contract on teacher pay. Sumner County's school board stopped recognizing its local teachers union in October, saying it didn't represent a majority of teachers.