Teachers, Ringgold go public on contract

June 05--For the past year, both sides in Ringgold teacher contract talks have kept negotiations behind closed doors.

That is no longer the case, as both sides have gone public with claims about the impasse.

The Ringgold Education Association on Tuesday unanimously rejected a fact-finder's recommendation for a contract. It marked the second time in five days the union voted against the proposal. The second vote was required by state law.

The union released a statement late Tuesday, quoting local President Diana Cristobel: "Our faculty has again spoken -- this time unanimously. We will be in contact with the state mediator to request that we continue contract negotiations under the auspices of the mediation process."

Cristobel indicated that barriers to a contract include a district effort to exclude some teachers' family members from receiving health insurance, and an attempt to devalue the salary schedule.

She wrote that both "would put our school district at a severe competitive disadvantage with the rest of the locals in Washington County, not to mention those in Allegheny County."

"Although our members have already voted to authorize a strike if necessary, we look forward to continuing negotiations with the school district, and we remain hopeful that we will collaboratively resolve these outstanding issues," Cristobel wrote.

On Wednesday, the district posted on its website what it called, "Justification of District's Comprehensive Package."

The document details a multitude of fiscal issues facing the school board, some not directly related to teacher salaries.

For example, the document issued by Ringgold's hired negotiator, Charles Beard, claims the district's investment income has declined from $716,353 in 2006 to a projected $25,000 for the current school year.

It notes that the real estate tax rate has increased by 32 mills since 2002, but it does not directly attribute how much of that is related to teacher salaries and benefits.

The document later notes that teachers received the following raises: 2008-09, 8.2 percent; 2009-10, 4.4 percent; 2010-11, 4.2 percent; 2011-12, 4.7 percent; and 2012-13, 4.1 percent.

The document estimates increased pension costs of $800,000 each year "for the next several years."

Districts statewide are facing increased contribution commitments to the Public School Employees' Retirement System.

At a school board meeting late last month, director Bill Stein condemned the state for failing to meet its financial obligations to the Public School Employees Retirement System.

At the meeting, Stein said teachers earned and deserved to count on their retirement plans when their teaching days are over.

The district's statement said premium costs for health insurance have risen from $3,385,573 in 2007-08 to $4,528,144 in 2014-15.

Student population has declined by 11.7 percent over the past five years, the statement said.

The union claims teaching positions have declined by 15 percent in that time.

"I am extremely disappointed that they rejected the fact-finder's recommendation that they requested," board President Mariann Bulko said Wednesday in a telephone interview.

Fritz Fekete, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said the sides will return to the bargaining table.

"I believe there is still a negotiations process in play," Fekete said. "Both sides need to honor that process. We had a fact finding. The district accepted it and we rejected it. That means negotiations should continue. I can't speak to expected outcome."

Fekete said salaries and health care are the main issues.

With regard to health care, Fekete said the teachers balked at what he called "spousal removal."

Under the district proposal, if the spouse of a Ringgold employee has group health coverage available at his or her place of employment either as an active or retired employee, that person would have been ineligible to participate in the Ringgold medical benefit program.

The fact-finder's recommendation would have included the spousal exclusion provision, but would have allowed a spouse to join the district plan immediately if health care coverage through an employer was lost.

"They cite total costs of health care for the district, but teachers make up just half of the district," Fekete said.

Fekete said the district isn't talking publicly about salaries because Ringgold is one of the lowest-paying districts in Washington County.

Fekete decried the "devaluation of the salary schedule," claiming younger teachers coming up the wage scale would receive smaller pay increases.

He questioned such district management practices as expenditures on capital projects, including political battles over whether to renovate the shuttered Donora and Monongahela elementary centers or build a middle school. By the time the board chose the latter, the district lost the chance to receive state money for the new building.

"Ultimately, the building doesn't teach anyone," Fekete said.

He said the board has not raised the real estate tax rate to meet the state index allowable for inflation for nearly five years. He said 63 percent of district revenue is in the form of state aid.

"They're making choices about revenue that they don't necessarily have to make," Fekete said. "What are you achieving by not raising taxes to the index?"

With the school year soon coming to a close, the impasse is headed into the summer with a second school year without a contract possible.

"I would encourage the board and the management to respect the process of negotiations," Fekete said.

"We confidently believe we can reach a fair and equitable contract by working through that process."

Chris Buckley is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-684-2642 or [email protected].

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