Teachers, support personnel negotiate in 6 Alle-Kiski Valley school districts

Aug. 25--Officials in six of the Alle-Kiski Valley's 15 public school districts are negotiating employee contracts as students return to class.

Teachers contracts have expired in the Deer Lakes and South Butler.

Agreements are not expected in New Kensington-Arnold and Plum before teachers contracts expire at the end of August.

Contracts for support personnel including secretaries, custodians and paraprofessionals have expired in Fox Chapel Area, Plum, Riverview, South Butler and Armstrong.

A tentative agreement has been reached at Fox Chapel Area, district spokeswoman Bonnie Berzonski said. Union members, including secretaries, clerks, and instructional and personal care assistants, are expected to vote on ratifying it this month; the school board is expected to vote at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Deer Lakes teachers and Riverview and Armstrong support personnel will be starting their second school year without labor agreements.

Wages and health care continue to be the main issues in contention.

"Our members have shown a willingness to bargain in good faith with their employers," said Wythe Keever, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union representing the local school district employees.

"At the same time, they have economic needs the same as everyone else who is working class or middle class."

Deer Lakes teachers are expected to meet as a group on Tuesday, according to Kevin Cochran, president of the Deer Lakes Education Association.

Although Cochran said teachers are growing increasingly frustrated, both union and district officials expect classes to start as scheduled on Sept. 2. Negotiations are scheduled for September and October.

At New Kensington-Arnold, a tentative agreement was believed to have been close between the district and teachers, "but evidently that has fallen through," said Kathleen Bell, a representative with the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

The sides have not met since late June and no negotiations sessions are scheduled, according to Bell.

Bell said teachers are busy figuring out how to handle the district's realignment. In July, the school board closed Fort Crawford and Greenwald elementary schools; all students will be consolidated into the district's remaining four schools.

"Right now that is their focus, to get the students back into the schools and to have a good start to the school year," Bell said. "After that happens, we'll pick up negotiations again."

Plum students are the last in the area to return to class, on Sept. 4, but their teachers and school secretaries won't have new contracts before then. The secretaries contract expired in June; the teachers contract expires Aug. 31.

For the teachers, a state-appointed mediator has scheduled a meeting for Sept. 22, said Christine Cortazzo, a representative with the state teachers union.

For secretaries, Cortazzo said the union has twice accepted a fact-finding report, but the district rejected it. The recommendations included lower wages for new hires.

Disputed issues include wages, health insurance premiums, health care opt-out payments, whether to give back a day around Easter as a paid holiday, and adjustments to vacation, layoff and transfer procedures.

"They need to come to us with some kind of counter offer," Cortazzo said. "We have been patiently waiting for them to respond."

Less than 20 secretaries are represented.

"These are very hard working folks," Cortazzo said. "They do a great job. They're not asking for much."

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4701 or [email protected].

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