B-C board, teachers nearer pact
DEEMSTON – After resolving three issues — but leaving two on the table — the Bethlehem-Center School Board and the teachers’ union moved closer to a settlement during contract negotiations this week. The board and the union came to an agreement on class size, the Family Medical Leave Act and tuition reimbursement; however, salary and the length of the work year remain in negotiations, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA).
Debbie Young, spokeswoman for the teachers’ association, said the board and the union made “wonderful progress” and the “sides came together.”
After discussing class size, the board agreed to work with the administration in managing class sizes to “acceptable numbers,” according to the press release.
The two parties moved closer to an agreement on salary, “narrowing the gap between the two groups to approximately $440 per year.”
A school board representative didn’t seem quite as optimistic.
Wade Smith, board member and spokesman, said the district is on a “fixed income” due to the state’s “unfair system of school funding” and “our paltry tax base.”
“The only way to give the teachers the money they want would be to cut programs,” he stated in a press release. “Increasing taxes alone wouldn’t do it, even if the taxpayers didn’t revolt. If they want more money, then we can only afford to pay fewer teachers — and our children and community will suffer as a result; that’s the unfortunate reality that we are faced with.”
Smith stated that the teachers’ union forced the board into a corner with its demands on salary.
“The BCTA has backed us into a corner. If we are forced to give them the money they are asking for ,we see no option but to cut teachers and programs to pay for it,” he stated.
“And, then, it’s the kids who lose again, like they did when the teachers walked off the job. As elected school directors, we are required to take an oath to conduct the business of the school in a financially responsible manner. I wouldn’t buy something at home that I couldn’t afford to pay for. How can I in good conscience sign a contract that the school (district) can’t pay for?”
According to the board press release, the board offered to drop all of the items up for negotiations if the teachers’ union would do the same and just focus on wages, but the union declined.
The work-year issue comes down to one day, Young said, explaining that the board wants to add one more day to the calendar year, while the teachers want to remain at 182 days.
Teachers plan to return to the classroom on Friday, Nov. 3, as recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Education under Act 88 and will enter into mandatory non-binding arbitration, stated the press release.