Central Greene board approves 5-year contract for teachers
Melissa Wilson, left, president of Central Greene teachers’ union, thanks the school board for approving a 5-year contract for the teachers during the board’s Tuesday meeting.
Central Greene school board stands and claps after approving a 5-year contract for the teachers by a 7-2 vote Tuesday.
Hundreds of Central Greene teachers give a standing ovation after the school board approved a new 5-year contract for the teachers’ union during a 6:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday.
Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg Central High School in Greene County
WAYNESBURG – Central Greene School Board stood with hundreds of teachers for a standing ovation after a 5-year contract for the teachers was approved.
Both the teachers’ union and the school board approved the contract, lasting from 2016 through 2021, Tuesday. Details of the contract were not yet available.
Melissa Wilson, president of the union, thanked the board after the ratification, which came by a 7-2 vote at the 6:30 p.m. meeting. She also thanked the teachers for working more than a year without a contract.
“We look forward to going back to our classrooms tomorrow without the stress that we’ve had throughout this process,” Wilson said.
Andrew Corfont, president of the school board, also thanked the board’s negotiating committee for the work they did on the contract.
“At no point was there any question that we appreciate our teachers,” he said. “We are glad we can move forward now together. Let’s make Central Greene the best school district ever.”
Both Wilson and Corfont declined to comment further on the new contract and said they would issue a joint news release Wednesday.
Bill Speakman, chief negotiator for the teachers, said he’s “relived to have a deal signed with the board.”
The two “no” votes came from board members Sarah Hughes and Rachael Shultz, who both declined comment.
The approval comes four days after both sides reached a verbal agreement during a 4-hour negotiations meeting Thursday.
The teachers were without a contract since last summer. The union approved a tentative agreement in March, which was an offer from the board’s bargaining team. However, the board rejected that agreement with a 7-2 vote.
Wilson said last week if the board rejected this new tentative agreement, the teachers were prepared to strike.