Collective agreements for teachers in Yellowknife Education District No. 1, and territorially expire Aug. 31. Yellowknife Catholic Schools' contract expires June 30.

Both sides -- the board and the NWT Teachers Association -- are in the process of forming their bargaining teams and position.

On the NWTTA side a bargaining team has only been selected for the territorial negotiations.

David Murphy, NWTTA president, said the members include NWTTA vice-president David Reid, Cliff King, Dudley Johnson and Lenny Hill from the GNWT.

Members who will negotiate on behalf of Yellowknife1 and the catholic board are still being finalized.

Members are also being surveyed regarding their priorities to determine where the NWTTA will stand on various positions.

Mike Huvenaars, YCS business manager, said a notice of intent has to be served by March and the board is preparing for negotiations.

"We are anticipating what they are going to come forward with," he said.

Steve Richards, with Yellowknife. 1, said they are still in the planning stages preparing for negotiations.

All parties involved are very tight-lipped about what positions each side will be taking going into negotiations.

"It's a very sensitive situation," said Richards.

Contract negotiations with Yellowknife1 and YCS were completed fairly quickly two years ago.

Yellowknife1 negotiations wrapped up prior to the expiration of the collective agreement. YCS' mediation period took slightly longer going a month over the contract deadline.

The territorial contract was the toughest to settle.

Going several months over the expiration date of the collective agreement, teachers went on a rotating strike in January 2001 to pressure the GNWT.

The two- or three-year agreements that will be negotiated this year will hopefully go smoothly, according to Murphy.

"I'm always optimistic," he said.