A major obstacle is a preamble the archdiocese wants to include in a new agreement outlining the educational objectives of the high schools.
In addition, the archdiocese wants to overhaul contract language to provide itself with greater flexibility in areas such as teaching assignments and scheduling.
The Office of Catholic Education maintains that the changes are necessary to reflect the altered landscape of 21st-century education. The Association of Catholic Teachers, Local 1776, calls the proposals anti-teacher and antiunion.
Both sides seek to avoid a dispute like the strike in 2003 that kept Catholic high school students out for six days. Contract talks have been scheduled for every day this week.
On Monday, the Office of Catholic Education released a statement saying it was "committed to a contract agreement that respects the needs of not only our teachers but also our school families, who sacrifice to provide a quality Catholic education for their children."
Catholic high school tuition is $5,600 for 2011-12.
Rita Schwartz, the longtime president of the Association of Catholic Teachers, said the issues could be resolved if the Office of Catholic Education expended as much energy at the bargaining table as it did on news releases.
The union representing the 711 lay high school teachers has planned a rally for this morning outside the archdiocese's Center City headquarters in support of the union's negotiating team.
The teachers' association is scheduled to meet Sept. 6 to vote on a new contract.
The contract is the first for Rochford, who was named superintendent three years ago, and she views it as a "hallmark contract." She said a new labor-management agreement was a critical component of the archdiocese's plan to transform its high schools.
"So we are prepared to do what we need to do to make this happen," she said.
