Ringgold officials, union schedule meeting before possible strike
Ringgold School District officials announced Monday that a last-minute contract negotiation meeting with a state mediator between the district and the education association has been scheduled, just hours before the association was planning to start a teachers’ strike.
The association announced Friday the teachers intended to strike beginning Wednesday after rejecting a fact-finder’s recommendation for a new contract. However, Ringgold Superintendent Karen Polkabla said Monday that a state mediator could be available for more talks, and a new meeting has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Maria Degnan, president of the Ringgold Education Association, issued a statement Friday in a press release that stated, “We are calling (for) a work stoppage, because although we have been bargaining in good faith for a successor contract since July 2016, the district has been unwilling to reach a reasonable agreement in key areas of the contract.”
An independent state fact-finder has been leading the negotiations since late August but the association has twice rejected recommendations.
Degnan has stated that Ringgold’s teachers are the lowest paid of all the region’s closest 105 school districts.
Degnan was unavailable Monday for further comment.
On Monday, school board President William Stein Jr. reaffirmed the board’s commitment to arriving at a contract that is fair for both the teachers and the taxpayers of Ringgold School District.
“Ultimately, there will be a contract,” said Stein. “We remain hopeful that we will be able to negotiate a solution acceptable to all parties.”
Last Friday, Ringgold Superintendent Karen Polkabla sent a letter to parents and guardians to inform them about a potential work stoppage.
In the event of a teacher’s strike, all classes would be cancelled with the exception of interim instructional classes for students enrolled in the Mon Valley Career and Technical Center. Varsity athletic events would be unaffected by a strike.
Ringgold’s 200 teachers have been working without a collective bargaining agreement since July 1.