The new board at Microtel negotiated a deal with several banks to get the funding required to prevent a takeover.

Under the current system, the board generally negotiated new contracts for the bus routes, leaving the union guarantees in place.

A board made up of payers and providers would negotiate spending targets and fees.

Each board would hire a superintendent and teachers, negotiate contracts and supervise classes through 12th grade.

The board would negotiate with health plans, approve their benefits, determine the Federal payment to each plan and compute the premiums charged to beneficiaries.

He said that teacher unions and boards in 70 of the state's 590 school districts were still negotiating for contracts for the 2001-2002 school year.

The board negotiated the price down to $750,000 from $1.5 million, and the village passed a referendum to go forward.

The board were currently negotiating to build a new home in the Edinburgh area, he added.

He said the board was negotiating the price of the former Echlin headquarters and that the original building would probably be used as a training center.

Adam Leitman Bailey, their lawyer, said the board is negotiating with the developer for repairs.