North Andover's teaching assistants will return to classrooms under their current contract's terms — without a raise or new benefits — as their collective bargaining agreement heads toward expiration Monday, Aug. 31.

The agreement will lapse without a successor deal in place. Teaching assistants will continue working under the old agreement's terms when schools reopen, but without cost-of-living increases or improved benefits until a new contract is finalized, according to Patch, which first reported the dispute.

North Andover Education Association (NAEA) President Juliette Darmon said the district's full-time teaching assistants earn between $28,000 and $48,000 a year depending on experience. The School Committee and the NAEA exchanged what negotiation ground rules called "final proposals" on Aug. 24, according to School Committee Chair David Brown.

Both sides have proposals covering working conditions, scheduling, professional learning and safety, Brown said.

But Darmon countered Brown's assertion that the School Committee had proposed negotiating throughout the summer ahead of the Aug. 24 session. "August 24th is the 1st time the union team saw in writing the proposals from administration and school committee," Darmon said. "The union side had all their proposals in writing at the 1st meeting in March. The SC has yet to bring forward a salary proposal."

Darmon said Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) representatives could not meet over the summer because members take vacations at different times, visit family overseas and work second jobs. The NAEA is affiliated with the MTA.