District, teachers at odds
over time, not money
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 • By JENNA
PORTNOY • The Express-Times
PALMER TWP. -- Disagreements over the scheduling of
professional development time are keeping Easton Area School
District teachers and administrators from ratifying a
contract.
Teachers on Monday night voted 87 percent to 13 percent
to turn down a proposal from the administration, according
to Charles Brill, the Easton Area Education Association
chief negotiator.
"I don't see why we can't sit down and resolve this
issue sooner rather than later," Brill said.
Superintendent Dennis Riker said fact finding is the
next step.
"It's my understanding that teachers met today to
discuss the negotiated contract and it was rejected,
therefore there was nothing to bring before the board,"
Riker said at Monday's school board meeting shortly after
teachers voted.
Fact finding is a structured process that lasts 90 days.
Both sides present their positions to a third party, who
issues an opinion. Both sides can ratify the report, go back
to negotiations or choose arbitration.
Teachers have been working under the terms of their
previous contract since Aug. 31. Negotiations started a year
ago.
Brill said the administration initially wanted to
shorten the school year from 187 days for teachers and
lengthen each school day to eight hours.
Under the district's plan, Brill said, there would be 40
minutes of staff development time added to the beginning and
end of the school day, three days a week.
Brill said this plan discourages teachers from
participating in activities, sports and clubs. It also
inconveniences teachers who stay late to help students and
those who give detentions.
If teachers have commitments after school, they must
come to the early session; if they cannot attend the early
session, they must attend the afternoon session.
Instead, Brill proposed adding two hours a month to
teachers' in-service time. They already have three meetings
a month that last an hour each.
"I don't think it's about the time, it's just simply
about the way it's being implemented," Brill said.
Brill insisted negotiations are not stalling because of
economic issues, such as salary and benefits.
The school board Monday adopted new five-year agreements
for six secretaries and five technical support employees.
Their previous contract expired July 1.
Negotiations for the new terms lasted about two months
and differ from the teachers contract in that the employees
cannot turn down the district's proposal, Riker said.
Riker gave the following breakdown of the terms:
All 11 employees will receive 15 paid holidays, three
personal days and 12 sick days. They must use personal days
for religious holidays and they must work on school
holidays. They must work or take vacation days on snow
days.
Secretaries get 25 vacation days and technical support
employees get 20 vacation days.
Starting this academic year, 2004-05, secretaries earn
$25,000. The executive secretary and technical support
employees earn $30,000. The network specialist earns
$35,000. Each employee's salary goes up $500 a year.
In the past, these employees paid no co-pay. Now, they
can choose among single, two-person and family plans with
$10, $15 and $20 co-pays, respectively. The co-pays go up $5
each year, but the fifth year is yet to be determined.
Prescription drugs used to cost $2 and $5. There is now
a three-tier system under which retail drugs cost $10, $20
and $50 and mail-order drugs cost $20, $40 and $85.
The new terms are part of a districtwide effort to
standardize Act 93 employees' salaries and benefits. The
only administrators not considered Act 93 employees are
Riker, Business Manager Jeff Bader and Angela Donaldson, the
administrative assistant to the superintendent for human
resources.
Reporter Jenna Portnoy can be reached at 610-258-7171 or
by e-mail at jportnoy@express-times.com.
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