(a) Within thirty days prior to the date on which the local or regional board of education is to commence negotiations pursuant to this section, such board of education shall meet and confer with the board of finance in each town or city having a board of finance, with the board of selectmen in each town having no board of finance and otherwise with the authority making appropriations therein. A member of such board of finance, such board of selectmen, or such other authority making appropriations, shall be permitted to be present during negotiations pursuant to this section and shall provide such fiscal information as may be requested by the board of education.

(b) The local or regional board of education and the organization designated or elected as the exclusive representative for the appropriate unit, through designated officials or their representatives, shall have the duty to negotiate with respect to salaries, hours and other conditions of employment about which either party wishes to negotiate. For purposes of this subsection and sections 10-153a, 10-153b and 10-153e to 10-153g, inclusive, (1) “hours” shall not include the length of the student school year, the scheduling of the student school year, the length of the student school day, the length and number of parent-teacher conferences and the scheduling of the student school day, except for the length and the scheduling of teacher lunch periods and teacher preparation periods and (2) “other conditions of employment” shall not include the establishment or provisions of any retirement incentive plan authorized by § 10-183jj or the development or adoption of teacher evaluation and support programs, pursuant to § 10-151b. Such negotiations shall commence not less than two hundred ten days prior to the budget submission date. Any local board of education shall file forthwith a signed copy of any contract with the town clerk and with the Commissioner of Education. Any regional board of education shall file forthwith a signed copy of any such contract with the town clerk in each member town and with the Commissioner of Education. Upon receipt of a signed copy of such contract the clerk of such town shall give public notice of such filing. The terms of such contract shall be binding on the legislative body of the local or regional school district, unless such body rejects such contract at a regular or special meeting called and convened for such purpose within thirty days of the filing of the contract. If a vote on such contract is petitioned for in accordance with the provisions of § 7-7, in order to reject such contract, a minimum number of those persons eligible to vote equal to fifteen per cent of the electors of such local or regional school district shall be required to participate in the voting and a majority of those voting shall be required to reject. Any regional board of education shall call a district meeting to consider such contract within such thirty-day period if the chief executive officer of any member town so requests in writing within fifteen days of the receipt of the signed copy of the contract by the town clerk in such town. The body charged with making annual appropriations in any school district shall appropriate to the board of education whatever funds are required to implement the terms of any contract not rejected pursuant to this section. All organizations seeking to represent members of the teaching profession shall be accorded equal treatment with respect to access to teachers, principals, members of the board of education, records, mail boxes and school facilities and, in the absence of any recognition or certification as the exclusive representative as provided by § 10-153b, participation in discussions with respect to salaries, hours and other conditions of employment.

(c) If the legislative body rejects the contract pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, the parties shall commence the arbitration process, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of § 10-153f, on the fifth day next following the rejection which, for the purposes of this procedure, shall serve as the equivalent of the one hundred thirty-fifth day prior to the budget submission date, provided, if requested by either party, the parties shall mediate the contract dispute prior to the initial arbitration hearing. The parties shall meet with a mediator mutually selected by them, provided such parties shall inform the commissioner of the name of such mediator. If the parties are unable to mutually select a mediator, then the parties shall meet with the commissioner or the commissioner’s agent or a mediator designated by said commissioner. Mediators shall be chosen from a panel of mediators selected by the State Board of Education or from outside such panel if mutually agreed by the parties. Such mediators shall receive a per diem fee determined on the basis of the prevailing rate for such services, and the parties shall share equally in the cost of such mediation. In any civil or criminal case, any proceeding preliminary thereto, or in any legislative or administrative proceeding, a mediator shall not disclose any confidential communication made to such mediator in the course of mediation unless the party making such communication waives such privilege. The parties shall provide such information as the commissioner may require. The commissioner may recommend a basis for settlement but such recommendations shall not be binding upon the parties.