Oct 24, 2017 By Mark Soroka for The 3 min read

NEW EAGLE – Despite efforts to work out a new contract during a nine-hour negotiation session Monday and end a work stoppage that began last Wednesday, the Ringgold Education Association (REA) and Ringgold School District were still unable to reach a deal.

According to REA President Maria Degnan, the district offered a proposal but the teachers union rejected the offer. She pointed out that talks broke down on several key issues, including compensation.

“The district still wants to devalue our salary schedule, and our members have told us very clearly that is not an option,” said Degnan. “We have had such severe devaluation with our previous contracts that a teacher on Step 10 today doesn’t make as much as a teacher made in 2013.”

Degnan added that REA is willing to continue bargaining through the week but said the district has declined to set any additional dates until Nov. 1.

“I would like nothing more than to bargain a fair deal, get the teachers off the picket line and bring the students back to school,” she said. “We remain committed to continue bargaining 24/7, if necessary. Everyone in this community wants this strike to be over.”

School Board President William Stein Jr. believes that substantial progress was made on Monday.

“However, there remains significant differences on key issues in terms of salary and benefits,” said Stein. “The district remains committed to arriving at a contract that is fair and responsible to our teachers and taxpayers.”

Stein added that these negotiations are complex because of the salary step schedule that was developed several contracts ago.

“As it is, we wouldn’t even be allowed by law to raise taxes high enough to pay for what the teachers have asked for,” he said.

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a return-to-work order for Nov. 21. Ringgold’s 200 teachers could still call a second strike, which would extend the 180-day instruction period to June 30.

Teachers have resumed picketing at district buildings on Tuesday and will continue until a settlement is reached or until they have to return to work on November 21, per requirements of Act 88, Pennsylvania’s public-sector collective bargaining law.

Earlier on Monday, Superintendent Karen Polkabla issued an announcement on Ringgold’s website, refuting statements made by REA on its Facebook page.

“The REA posted that paving contractors refused to cross the picket line because we owed them over $800,000. They further stated that $93,000 of asphalt was wasted because it was delivered and couldn’t be utilized because of the stoppage and when they refused to work, we ‘produced the money.’ They also make inflammatory statements indicating we could have hired three teachers for the amount of asphalt wasted and how we could produce money to resolve this but not pay the teachers…These statements are entirely false. They reflect complete ignorance of the facts or are a deliberate attempt to disparage and bully the administration,” said Dr. Polkabla.

Degnan said that REA “respectfully” removed these claims from its Facebook page. However, she questioned how the school district is choosing to spend its money.

“It’s not a matter of whether or not they have the money to pay the teachers a fair wage,” she said. “It’s that they choose not to do this. They spend money on everything but the teachers. This negotiation is about getting the respect we deserve. And the salaries we have been paid indicate that we are not getting that respect.”

The Ringgold School Board will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at Ringgold High School.