HUNTLEY – District 158 and its teacher union have requested a third-party mediator to help the parties agree to a new contract, according to a district press release.

The district and the Huntley Education Association agreed during their last meeting on Aug. 9 to request the mediator, and officials aren't expecting to have a new deal in place by the start of school on Wednesday, Aug. 22.

It's unclear from the release what issues have prevented the parties from reaching a new contract. The teachers union agreed last summer to a one-year deal that included flat compensation levels. District administrators, however, included a 2 percent pay raise for teachers in its tentative 2013 budget.