Peters district, teachers set talks
Peters Township School District officials and the union representing 285 teachers will meet Sunday in an effort to avert an Oct. 28 strike.
The meeting, called by Kathy Doherty, a mediator from the state Department of Labor and Industry, will take place at 4 p.m. at the district’s administration building on East McMurray Road, said Paul Homer, a spokesman for Peters Township Federation of Teachers Local 3431. Another negotiating session has been set for Oct. 27.
Members of the district’s negotiating team are Jennifer Murphy, assistant superintendent; Vincent Belczyk, business manager, and school board members Jamison Hardy, Ron Dunleavy and Lisa Anderson.
“I am optimistic,” Homer said of the talks. “Our goal is a fair and equitable contract.”
The teachers voted unanimously last month to go on strike Oct. 28 if a new contract cannot be agreed to.
Teachers have been working without a contract since school started in late August. A walkout would affect 4,300 students in five district schools.
The state requires districts to complete 180 days of instruction by June 15. If a strike should take place, then the calendar would be modified by taking away vacation days and extending the school year to reach the required days, according to a letter from Peters Township School District sent to parents Thursday.
By law, Saturdays, Sundays, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day cannot be used as school days.
The last time Peters teachers were on strike was 2000. The number of days that a strike can last is ultimately up to the state Department of Education, the district letter said.
The issues between the two sides include class size and health care, Homer said. The average teacher’s salary in the district is $71,540. Under the expired contract, the contribution to health care is $70 a month for individual coverage and $145 for family coverage, the district said.
District athletic events likely would go on as scheduled in the event of a walkout. The Peters Township High School football team is scheduled to play Pine-Richland on Oct. 30.
Students who attend Western Area Career and Technology Center would continue to attend classes at their regular time. But, activities not associated with athletic events, such as field trips and PTA events and activities, would be canceled.