From the BCCT.
Board authorizes tentative pact with unions
By: LOU SESSINGER
The Intelligencer
The Souderton Area School Board is willing to accept most of two recommended contract settlements with the unions that represent the school district's teacher aides and secretaries with the exception of provisions related to the employees' health insurance coverage.
At a special meeting Tuesday evening, the board took two votes on the contract settlements recommended by state-appointed fact finder John Skonier.
Regarding the Souderton Area Educational Support Personnel Association, which represents about 140 teacher aides, the board authorized a tentative agreement that approves the fact finder's report with the following exception:
"Employees who work seven or more hours a day and at least 170 days per school year shall be entitled to participate in the lowest cost teachers' health care plan for single employee benefits provided that the employees contribute 10 percent of the health care premium."
Regarding the approximately 50-member Souderton Area Secretaries Association, the tentative agreement was similar but with slightly different language dealing with how the employees are classified and whether the provisions of their employment were "tied to" the teacher aides union contract.
In addition, 10-month employees who work seven or more hours a day can participate in the lowest cost teachers' health plan for single coverage and a contribution of 10 percent of the premium cost.
The teachers currently have a choice of different health plans with different co-pay options and other features.
School board President Bernard S. Currie after the meeting was apologetically tight-lipped about the board's tentative agreement.
"All I can really talk about tonight is the fact that the board authorized a tentative agreement," he said. "I can't say any more about the details because the employees haven't had a chance to vote on it. It wouldn't be fair for them to read about it in the newspaper before they had a chance to vote on it."
When asked if some of the aides and secretaries have not had health care insurance, all Currie would say is "some have and some have not." He declined to elaborate.
Neither would Currie explain how the board's health care provision differed from the fact finder's recommendation to which the board took exception.
According to Gary Smith, the Pennsylvania State Education Association representative who has been working on contract negotiations with both unions, the secretaries were scheduled to vote on the fact finder's recommendation today and the teacher aides on Thursday.
Both unions have been working under the terms of contracts that expired in June 2008.
Meanwhile, the school board and the district's teachers union are awaiting the report of an arbitration panel aimed at resolving their contract impasse. The sticking points are salary and health insurance.
Showing posts with label Souderton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Souderton. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Souderton HS senior: Give future students what I've had
From the Souderton Independent.
We seem to keep forgetting why the schools exist: It's the students.
Souderton Area HS senior: Give future students what I've had
By: Bob Keeler, Staff Writer
04/03/2009
Initially, it wasn't a big deal to Souderton Area High School student Samantha Hickman that the school board and teachers hadn't reached an agreement for a new contract.
"At first I was in a mindset similar to many of my other fellow seniors - So what? I'm out of here in a year. I'm sure they'll settle it before we get back to school," Hickman said during the public comment portion of the March 26 Souderton Area School Board meeting.
"Seven months and look where we are now," Hickman continued.
Following a 13 day strike by the teachers at the beginning of the school year, the two sides are now in non-binding arbitration and still don't have a contract. Recommendations from a fact finder for new contracts with district aides and secretaries, who are also working without a new contract, are about to be voted on.
Teachers say they are among the lowest paid in the area, which is causing good teachers to go elsewhere and that 28 teachers have left for reasons other than retirement since the impasse began. Board members say they are trying to keep raises within an affordable level to taxpayers and when there are district openings for teachers, there are plenty of applicants in all except some specialized areas.
Hickman said she doesn't want the district to lose what she's had as a student.
"If I hadn't met many of the teachers I had during high school, I don't know who I would be, but I certainly wouldn't be the type of student willing to get up here tonight and speak to you all about how highly I value education," Hickman said.
"Please allow my younger brother and sister this experience," she said. "Please allow my friends, my neighbors, my family and all future students of Souderton Area this experience."
The teachers are an important part of helping with the transition by students into their future, she said.
"Please make a decision that will satisfy people in the long run, not just during an economic crisis. Be flexible and allow yourself to view the arbitrator's report with an open mind. I ask you to please place some value in the one thing that matters in the community the most, a strong foundation," Hickman told the board. "As we enter what I hope to be the final act of this situation, I urge you to not only think of the present, but of the future. Picture Souderton on its current path, but 50 years from now. Will you be content with the decisions that you made today? Are you setting up my world - our world - for a prosperous future?"
Hickman's support for the teachers was the second of the night from a high school student.
Following recognition of high-achieving student musicians, student Cassondra Diaz gave flowers to choir director Teresa Washam as a token of appreciation from the students.
"She is the reason why we are here and she has dedicated her time and her energy to us and we can't thank her enough," Diaz said.
"You represent how great our teachers are and how they are far from a dime a dozen," Diaz told Washam.
The public comment portion of recent board meetings has focused on the strike and its aftermath.
Before the start of the March 26 public comment, Bud Miller, the board's vice president who chaired the meeting, reminded those in attendance that the arbitration is still ongoing and there can't be any new contract or negotiations until the arbitration is completed.
"There's nothing we can do at this time in that regard," Miller said.
"We appreciate what you do for us and it's important to remember we're all on the same team," Miller told teachers at the meeting.
Former board member Tracy Cole said she had not commented publicly before because it's important to let the arbitration process unfold, but wanted to respond to comments made at previous meetings.
"I want the board to know that while some members of the community have expressed at board meetings that if the teachers don't like it here, then they should just leave, that is not how I feel, and I am also a taxpayer and a parent of two students presently in our schools," Cole said.
Cole said she appreciates the devotion and passion expressed by teachers at previous meetings and doesn't want the district to have a "revolving door of employees."
"That's no way to run a business or a school district," Cole said. "It leads to poor returns on our investment, our investment in our employee, and more importantly, our investment in our children's future."
Teacher Beth Swartz spoke in opposition to board proposals to create new merit pay systems.
"As a teacher in the district, I know that we already have two forms of merit pay and we don't need another," Swartz said.
One is yearly evaluations by school principals that can freeze a teacher's salary if an unsatisfactory rating is given and lead to firing if there's no improvement, she said.
"We've had this form of merit pay for more than 15 years," Swartz said.
The other form of merit pay is scholarships to teachers from Souderton Area Education Foundation, she said.
"The big unanswered question to the board is what formula would be used to determine merit? Who determines who receives merit pay?" Swartz said, reviewing some possible systems, but concluding the systems are "merely divisive attempts at favoritism."
Resident Charlotte Wellener said proposed new state laws banning teacher strikes should be supported.
"This would eliminate all of what's been going on these past few months, open in the public, with our taxpayers and children being held hostage," Wellener said.
Resident Hugh Donnelly said Pennsylvania's teachers are among the highest paid in the country.
Giving information from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, Donnelly said the Pennsylvania State Education Association has moved from being a professional development organization at its 1852 start into a powerful labor union and political machine that leads to higher taxes.
"By completely politicizing public education at every level, the PSEA has effectively marginalized parents, children and even teachers in communities throughout Pennsylvania," Donnelly said.
We seem to keep forgetting why the schools exist: It's the students.
Souderton Area HS senior: Give future students what I've had
By: Bob Keeler, Staff Writer
04/03/2009
Initially, it wasn't a big deal to Souderton Area High School student Samantha Hickman that the school board and teachers hadn't reached an agreement for a new contract.
"At first I was in a mindset similar to many of my other fellow seniors - So what? I'm out of here in a year. I'm sure they'll settle it before we get back to school," Hickman said during the public comment portion of the March 26 Souderton Area School Board meeting.
"Seven months and look where we are now," Hickman continued.
Following a 13 day strike by the teachers at the beginning of the school year, the two sides are now in non-binding arbitration and still don't have a contract. Recommendations from a fact finder for new contracts with district aides and secretaries, who are also working without a new contract, are about to be voted on.
Teachers say they are among the lowest paid in the area, which is causing good teachers to go elsewhere and that 28 teachers have left for reasons other than retirement since the impasse began. Board members say they are trying to keep raises within an affordable level to taxpayers and when there are district openings for teachers, there are plenty of applicants in all except some specialized areas.
Hickman said she doesn't want the district to lose what she's had as a student.
"If I hadn't met many of the teachers I had during high school, I don't know who I would be, but I certainly wouldn't be the type of student willing to get up here tonight and speak to you all about how highly I value education," Hickman said.
"Please allow my younger brother and sister this experience," she said. "Please allow my friends, my neighbors, my family and all future students of Souderton Area this experience."
The teachers are an important part of helping with the transition by students into their future, she said.
"Please make a decision that will satisfy people in the long run, not just during an economic crisis. Be flexible and allow yourself to view the arbitrator's report with an open mind. I ask you to please place some value in the one thing that matters in the community the most, a strong foundation," Hickman told the board. "As we enter what I hope to be the final act of this situation, I urge you to not only think of the present, but of the future. Picture Souderton on its current path, but 50 years from now. Will you be content with the decisions that you made today? Are you setting up my world - our world - for a prosperous future?"
Hickman's support for the teachers was the second of the night from a high school student.
Following recognition of high-achieving student musicians, student Cassondra Diaz gave flowers to choir director Teresa Washam as a token of appreciation from the students.
"She is the reason why we are here and she has dedicated her time and her energy to us and we can't thank her enough," Diaz said.
"You represent how great our teachers are and how they are far from a dime a dozen," Diaz told Washam.
The public comment portion of recent board meetings has focused on the strike and its aftermath.
Before the start of the March 26 public comment, Bud Miller, the board's vice president who chaired the meeting, reminded those in attendance that the arbitration is still ongoing and there can't be any new contract or negotiations until the arbitration is completed.
"There's nothing we can do at this time in that regard," Miller said.
"We appreciate what you do for us and it's important to remember we're all on the same team," Miller told teachers at the meeting.
Former board member Tracy Cole said she had not commented publicly before because it's important to let the arbitration process unfold, but wanted to respond to comments made at previous meetings.
"I want the board to know that while some members of the community have expressed at board meetings that if the teachers don't like it here, then they should just leave, that is not how I feel, and I am also a taxpayer and a parent of two students presently in our schools," Cole said.
Cole said she appreciates the devotion and passion expressed by teachers at previous meetings and doesn't want the district to have a "revolving door of employees."
"That's no way to run a business or a school district," Cole said. "It leads to poor returns on our investment, our investment in our employee, and more importantly, our investment in our children's future."
Teacher Beth Swartz spoke in opposition to board proposals to create new merit pay systems.
"As a teacher in the district, I know that we already have two forms of merit pay and we don't need another," Swartz said.
One is yearly evaluations by school principals that can freeze a teacher's salary if an unsatisfactory rating is given and lead to firing if there's no improvement, she said.
"We've had this form of merit pay for more than 15 years," Swartz said.
The other form of merit pay is scholarships to teachers from Souderton Area Education Foundation, she said.
"The big unanswered question to the board is what formula would be used to determine merit? Who determines who receives merit pay?" Swartz said, reviewing some possible systems, but concluding the systems are "merely divisive attempts at favoritism."
Resident Charlotte Wellener said proposed new state laws banning teacher strikes should be supported.
"This would eliminate all of what's been going on these past few months, open in the public, with our taxpayers and children being held hostage," Wellener said.
Resident Hugh Donnelly said Pennsylvania's teachers are among the highest paid in the country.
Giving information from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, Donnelly said the Pennsylvania State Education Association has moved from being a professional development organization at its 1852 start into a powerful labor union and political machine that leads to higher taxes.
"By completely politicizing public education at every level, the PSEA has effectively marginalized parents, children and even teachers in communities throughout Pennsylvania," Donnelly said.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Unions enter fact-finding in contract impasses
From the Intelligencer
Unions enter fact-finding in contract impasses
By: LOU SESSINGER
The Intelligencer
The school board is working on contracts with teacher aides, secretaries and teachers.
Labor strife involving three employee unions continues to be the center of attention in the Souderton Area School District, and there continues to be little information about the progress of resolving that strife.
That was the essence of school district solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik's update to the school board at its meeting Thursday night.
Sultanik reported that the unions representing the district's teacher aides (Souderton Area Educational Support Personnel Association) and secretaries (Souderton Area Secretaries Association) have entered what is known as "fact-finding" in their contract impasse with the district.
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board has appointed a fact finder to review the contract offers of the two unions and the district and recommend a settlement.
Health benefits and salaries have been reported to be the issues dividing the parties, but details of the contract offers haven't been made public because of the bargaining process.
Sultanik said that the school board can expect to receive the fact finder's recommended settlement on Monday.
The recommendation will not be made public, and the unions and school board will have between five and 10 days to vote whether to accept or reject it.
"If both sides accept it, we'll have a settlement," Sultanik said.
If either side rejects it, the recommendation will be made public, and the unions and school board will have a period of time during which they'll take a second vote.
The process involving the aides' and secretaries' unions is "a somewhat different procedure" than that governing the contract impasse with the teachers union (Souderton Area Education Association), the solicitor said.
Following a strike that delayed the start of the school year in September, the union and board are in a process of non-binding arbitration. After a series of confidential hearings on both sides' final best offer, the three-member arbitration panel will recommend a settlement.
Both sides will vote to accept or reject it. If either side rejects it, the union could stage a second strike of limited duration.
School Director Eric R. MacDougall asked when the board could expect to receive the arbitrators' report.
"I don't know," Sultanik replied, "but I suspect it will be after this current process (involving the aides and secretaries) is completed.
"Four to six weeks is my best guess."
The school board has offered the teachers a three-year contract with pay raises of 2.5 percent a year. The union is seeking raises of 8 percent a year to bring their salaries in line with those of school districts in the region.
Lou Sessinger can be contacted at 215-345-3148 or lsessinger@phillyBurbs.com.
March 27, 2009 02:41 AM
Unions enter fact-finding in contract impasses
By: LOU SESSINGER
The Intelligencer
The school board is working on contracts with teacher aides, secretaries and teachers.
Labor strife involving three employee unions continues to be the center of attention in the Souderton Area School District, and there continues to be little information about the progress of resolving that strife.
That was the essence of school district solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik's update to the school board at its meeting Thursday night.
Sultanik reported that the unions representing the district's teacher aides (Souderton Area Educational Support Personnel Association) and secretaries (Souderton Area Secretaries Association) have entered what is known as "fact-finding" in their contract impasse with the district.
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board has appointed a fact finder to review the contract offers of the two unions and the district and recommend a settlement.
Health benefits and salaries have been reported to be the issues dividing the parties, but details of the contract offers haven't been made public because of the bargaining process.
Sultanik said that the school board can expect to receive the fact finder's recommended settlement on Monday.
The recommendation will not be made public, and the unions and school board will have between five and 10 days to vote whether to accept or reject it.
"If both sides accept it, we'll have a settlement," Sultanik said.
If either side rejects it, the recommendation will be made public, and the unions and school board will have a period of time during which they'll take a second vote.
The process involving the aides' and secretaries' unions is "a somewhat different procedure" than that governing the contract impasse with the teachers union (Souderton Area Education Association), the solicitor said.
Following a strike that delayed the start of the school year in September, the union and board are in a process of non-binding arbitration. After a series of confidential hearings on both sides' final best offer, the three-member arbitration panel will recommend a settlement.
Both sides will vote to accept or reject it. If either side rejects it, the union could stage a second strike of limited duration.
School Director Eric R. MacDougall asked when the board could expect to receive the arbitrators' report.
"I don't know," Sultanik replied, "but I suspect it will be after this current process (involving the aides and secretaries) is completed.
"Four to six weeks is my best guess."
The school board has offered the teachers a three-year contract with pay raises of 2.5 percent a year. The union is seeking raises of 8 percent a year to bring their salaries in line with those of school districts in the region.
Lou Sessinger can be contacted at 215-345-3148 or lsessinger@phillyBurbs.com.
March 27, 2009 02:41 AM
Saturday, February 28, 2009
"If you don't like it, get out,"
From the Intelligencer. It looks like Souderton is running down the same stretch of road as Morrisville. No money and fixed-income retirees combining with the requirement to provide an education to the local children.
Teachers predict 'brain drain' if they don't get pay raises
By LOU SESSINGER
The union is asking for an 8.2 percent increase. The district is offering 2.57 percent.
As they have for several months, Souderton Area School District teachers spoke at Thursday night's school board meeting to express their dismay at the contract impasse between the board and the Souderton Area Education Association, the teachers union.
Six teachers came to the podium during the public comment portion of the meeting. Their common theme was that they and their colleagues deserved pay raises that would put their salaries in line with those of other school districts in the area. If not, some of them warned, the district could suffer a "brain drain" of sorts as the best teachers leave to seek better pay elsewhere.
The members of the Souderton Area Education Association went on strike in early September, delaying the opening of school until Sept. 19. The teachers union and school board then entered non-binding arbitration, which is still going on.
Teachers are seeking a four-year contract with annual salary increases compounded at an average of 8.2 percent a year. The school board is offering a three-year contract with annual salary increases compounded at an average of 2.57 percent a year.
School board President Bernard S. Currie on Thursday night pointed out that an arbitration panel is still conducting closed-door hearings on the last best offers of the board and union, and so contract negotiations are at a standstill until the panel releases its recommendations, which are expected in the spring.
High school science teacher Kenneth Hamilton said he had experienced a "loss of faith" in the school board's willingness to seek a fair settlement.
High school learning support teacher Sandra Campagna said she hoped both sides would be willing to accept the arbitrators' recommendations they could "work on a settlement together."
Janet Smith, a fifth-grade teacher at Salford Hills Elementary, said she wanted to "dispel the myth" that it would be easy for the school district to rebuild the quality of its teaching staff if there were a "mass exodus of teachers" driven away by low pay.
"We are not dime-a-dozen teachers," she said. "We live next door and have close community ties. Shame on this board + we are dedicated teachers and not a dime a dozen."
But two members of the community who addressed the board rejected the teachers' arguments and supported the board's negotiating position.
Charl Wellener said she had lost faith with the teachers and thought their contract demands were not motivated by a desire for fairness but by greed.
If teachers were unhappy with their salaries, she said, they should seek employment elsewhere.
Hugh Donnelly agreed.
"If you don't like it, get out," he said, adding that 20 percent of the district's property taxpayers were age 60 and over.
"They don't have kids in school, but they have to pay taxes. Eight and a half percent (a year pay raise) is obscene."
Teachers predict 'brain drain' if they don't get pay raises
By LOU SESSINGER
The union is asking for an 8.2 percent increase. The district is offering 2.57 percent.
As they have for several months, Souderton Area School District teachers spoke at Thursday night's school board meeting to express their dismay at the contract impasse between the board and the Souderton Area Education Association, the teachers union.
Six teachers came to the podium during the public comment portion of the meeting. Their common theme was that they and their colleagues deserved pay raises that would put their salaries in line with those of other school districts in the area. If not, some of them warned, the district could suffer a "brain drain" of sorts as the best teachers leave to seek better pay elsewhere.
The members of the Souderton Area Education Association went on strike in early September, delaying the opening of school until Sept. 19. The teachers union and school board then entered non-binding arbitration, which is still going on.
Teachers are seeking a four-year contract with annual salary increases compounded at an average of 8.2 percent a year. The school board is offering a three-year contract with annual salary increases compounded at an average of 2.57 percent a year.
School board President Bernard S. Currie on Thursday night pointed out that an arbitration panel is still conducting closed-door hearings on the last best offers of the board and union, and so contract negotiations are at a standstill until the panel releases its recommendations, which are expected in the spring.
High school science teacher Kenneth Hamilton said he had experienced a "loss of faith" in the school board's willingness to seek a fair settlement.
High school learning support teacher Sandra Campagna said she hoped both sides would be willing to accept the arbitrators' recommendations they could "work on a settlement together."
Janet Smith, a fifth-grade teacher at Salford Hills Elementary, said she wanted to "dispel the myth" that it would be easy for the school district to rebuild the quality of its teaching staff if there were a "mass exodus of teachers" driven away by low pay.
"We are not dime-a-dozen teachers," she said. "We live next door and have close community ties. Shame on this board + we are dedicated teachers and not a dime a dozen."
But two members of the community who addressed the board rejected the teachers' arguments and supported the board's negotiating position.
Charl Wellener said she had lost faith with the teachers and thought their contract demands were not motivated by a desire for fairness but by greed.
If teachers were unhappy with their salaries, she said, they should seek employment elsewhere.
Hugh Donnelly agreed.
"If you don't like it, get out," he said, adding that 20 percent of the district's property taxpayers were age 60 and over.
"They don't have kids in school, but they have to pay taxes. Eight and a half percent (a year pay raise) is obscene."
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Souderton Update
From the BCCT.
Battle fought over teacher pay
By RICH PIETRAS
Staff Writer
Practically everyone living in the Souderton Area School District got an unexpected — and unwanted — course in “Contract Negotiations 101” when teachers went on strike at the beginning of the school year.
Teachers returned to classes Sept. 19, but there is still no contract and teachers could strike again come spring.
At the crux of the debate has been salary and benefits — the school district has offered a three-year contract with pay raises averaging 2.5 percent, while the union wants a four-year pact with raises averaging 8.2 percent.
And if the request from the union didn’t raise eyebrows in September, it most certainly has during the economy’s scary slide. Jeffery Sultanik, the school board’s solicitor and chief negotiator, said the entire process has been disappointing.
“Obviously whenever there is a cessation in public services, the taxpayers who pay for the services, the school district, and especially the students suffer. Clearly the district is not pleased over this situation,’’ he said. “But we also remained baffled as to why the teachers have refused to move one inch on their salary demands, particularly in what has been characterized as the worst economic environment since the Great Depression. You don’t get a lot of people getting 8.2 percent increases.”
The teachers union points out that Souderton teachers’ starting salaries are the lowest in Montgomery County. The school board has argued it does not have the commercial tax base other areas enjoy, thus making comparing salaries difficult. Bill Lukridge, president of the union, said that while it has always considered the state of the economy, there are other factors to consider.
“The real issue is the amount of teachers we are losing … 20 teachers have left the district since the beginning of June for better pay. We know the economy isn’t the best, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay teachers fairly,” Lukridge said.
Lukridge also pointed to the new Souder Hill Towne Center proposed for what is now Souderton Area High School.
According to Lukridge, an economic survey of the area was completed for the nearly $66 million project and showed that residents who live within a mile of it have an average household income of $70,000. The average Souderton teacher salary is $61,600, which is $3,000 lower than the average teacher in Montgomery County.
“A 2.5 percent average increase will only keep them at the bottom for years to come and prevent us from keeping, as well as attracting, good teachers,” Lukridge said.
One of the few areas both sides have agreed upon is the low ranking of Souderton teachers’ starting salaries. At just over $37,000, they rank the lowest in the county. The school board has offered to increase them to just over $40,000.
Currently, both sides’ proposals are being reviewed by an arbitration panel, which has been reviewing data including public comments, since October. After a decision is rendered by the panel, both sides take it to a vote. But if either sides reject’s the final recommendation, the teachers could go back on strike in the spring for about a week.
“We’re hoping something happens soon after the holiday,” Lukridge said. “My goodness, we have been waiting since September.”
Battle fought over teacher pay
By RICH PIETRAS
Staff Writer
Practically everyone living in the Souderton Area School District got an unexpected — and unwanted — course in “Contract Negotiations 101” when teachers went on strike at the beginning of the school year.
Teachers returned to classes Sept. 19, but there is still no contract and teachers could strike again come spring.
At the crux of the debate has been salary and benefits — the school district has offered a three-year contract with pay raises averaging 2.5 percent, while the union wants a four-year pact with raises averaging 8.2 percent.
And if the request from the union didn’t raise eyebrows in September, it most certainly has during the economy’s scary slide. Jeffery Sultanik, the school board’s solicitor and chief negotiator, said the entire process has been disappointing.
“Obviously whenever there is a cessation in public services, the taxpayers who pay for the services, the school district, and especially the students suffer. Clearly the district is not pleased over this situation,’’ he said. “But we also remained baffled as to why the teachers have refused to move one inch on their salary demands, particularly in what has been characterized as the worst economic environment since the Great Depression. You don’t get a lot of people getting 8.2 percent increases.”
The teachers union points out that Souderton teachers’ starting salaries are the lowest in Montgomery County. The school board has argued it does not have the commercial tax base other areas enjoy, thus making comparing salaries difficult. Bill Lukridge, president of the union, said that while it has always considered the state of the economy, there are other factors to consider.
“The real issue is the amount of teachers we are losing … 20 teachers have left the district since the beginning of June for better pay. We know the economy isn’t the best, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay teachers fairly,” Lukridge said.
Lukridge also pointed to the new Souder Hill Towne Center proposed for what is now Souderton Area High School.
According to Lukridge, an economic survey of the area was completed for the nearly $66 million project and showed that residents who live within a mile of it have an average household income of $70,000. The average Souderton teacher salary is $61,600, which is $3,000 lower than the average teacher in Montgomery County.
“A 2.5 percent average increase will only keep them at the bottom for years to come and prevent us from keeping, as well as attracting, good teachers,” Lukridge said.
One of the few areas both sides have agreed upon is the low ranking of Souderton teachers’ starting salaries. At just over $37,000, they rank the lowest in the county. The school board has offered to increase them to just over $40,000.
Currently, both sides’ proposals are being reviewed by an arbitration panel, which has been reviewing data including public comments, since October. After a decision is rendered by the panel, both sides take it to a vote. But if either sides reject’s the final recommendation, the teachers could go back on strike in the spring for about a week.
“We’re hoping something happens soon after the holiday,” Lukridge said. “My goodness, we have been waiting since September.”
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Teacher Pay
Here's an article from the BCCT looking at the recent Souderton teacher's strike and teacher pay. The best part of the story are the reader comments.
Thank God that this would never happen here in Morr...
Oh. Sorry. My bad.
Teachers: Pay driving them away
By LOU SESSINGER
Staff Writer
The Souderton Area school board listened impassively as three teachers claimed the board’s rigid stance during the current labor dispute over salary is driving talented teachers to districts willing to pay more — and quality of education in Souderton is suffering.
Speaking during the public comment section of last Tuesday night’s school board meeting, speech therapist Allison Moran said the recent resignation of three of her colleagues, “due to the contract this board has presented,” has reduced the number of full-time district speech therapists to two.
One took a job in Upper Perkiomen and two were hired by Upper Dublin, she said, adding that those who went to Upper Dublin got more money.
“Quality teachers and speech therapists cannot be kept in this district without adequate compensation,” she said.
School district solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik said the board was aware of a trend in which school districts are competing for a limited number of speech therapists.
“The board would be prepared to address this issue by having a different compensation scale arranged for speech therapists,” he said. “Compensation should be determined to a certain extent by supply and demand, and this board is prepared right now to sit down and negotiate a separate compensation scale for speech therapists.
“But you’re shaking your head no because it runs contrary to your concept of unionism, which keeps everybody’s salary at the same level, not withstanding supply and demand,” he added.
Science teacher Christopher Luck said he had a master’s degree, was certified to teach both chemistry and physics, was in his ninth year with the school district and earned $53,600 a year, several thousand dollars less than he would be paid at neighboring North Penn or Pennridge.
He said he has seen many of his colleagues leave Souderton for higher pay elsewhere.
“Do you really want quality teachers to leave?” he asked.
Christine Jackson, a physics teacher with 16 years’ experience, said this year the board’s attitude toward teacher salaries “left us with no choice” but to go on strike or find employment elsewhere.
“We’re disheartened by your lack of respect to teachers and administrators … and your unwillingness to strengthen the district,” she said.
The teachers union went on strike for 15 days at the start of the school year in September.
The school district has offered a three-year contract with pay raises averaging 2.5 percent. The union wants a four-year pact with raises averaging 8.2 percent.
The labor impasse is now in a phase of nonbinding arbitration.
Thank God that this would never happen here in Morr...
Oh. Sorry. My bad.
Teachers: Pay driving them away
By LOU SESSINGER
Staff Writer
The Souderton Area school board listened impassively as three teachers claimed the board’s rigid stance during the current labor dispute over salary is driving talented teachers to districts willing to pay more — and quality of education in Souderton is suffering.
Speaking during the public comment section of last Tuesday night’s school board meeting, speech therapist Allison Moran said the recent resignation of three of her colleagues, “due to the contract this board has presented,” has reduced the number of full-time district speech therapists to two.
One took a job in Upper Perkiomen and two were hired by Upper Dublin, she said, adding that those who went to Upper Dublin got more money.
“Quality teachers and speech therapists cannot be kept in this district without adequate compensation,” she said.
School district solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik said the board was aware of a trend in which school districts are competing for a limited number of speech therapists.
“The board would be prepared to address this issue by having a different compensation scale arranged for speech therapists,” he said. “Compensation should be determined to a certain extent by supply and demand, and this board is prepared right now to sit down and negotiate a separate compensation scale for speech therapists.
“But you’re shaking your head no because it runs contrary to your concept of unionism, which keeps everybody’s salary at the same level, not withstanding supply and demand,” he added.
Science teacher Christopher Luck said he had a master’s degree, was certified to teach both chemistry and physics, was in his ninth year with the school district and earned $53,600 a year, several thousand dollars less than he would be paid at neighboring North Penn or Pennridge.
He said he has seen many of his colleagues leave Souderton for higher pay elsewhere.
“Do you really want quality teachers to leave?” he asked.
Christine Jackson, a physics teacher with 16 years’ experience, said this year the board’s attitude toward teacher salaries “left us with no choice” but to go on strike or find employment elsewhere.
“We’re disheartened by your lack of respect to teachers and administrators … and your unwillingness to strengthen the district,” she said.
The teachers union went on strike for 15 days at the start of the school year in September.
The school district has offered a three-year contract with pay raises averaging 2.5 percent. The union wants a four-year pact with raises averaging 8.2 percent.
The labor impasse is now in a phase of nonbinding arbitration.
Friday, September 19, 2008
School Starts Today in Souderton
From the Inquirer.
School reopens Friday in Souderton
By Dan Hardy, Posted on Thu, Sep. 18, 2008
Striking teachers in Montgomery County's Souderton Area School District will be back in their classrooms tomorrow, with the two sides agreeing to enter into non-binding arbitration.
The Schools will reopen at their regular times.
State law mandates that the teachers would have had to go back to work next Wednesday, in order to get in 180 days of instruction by June 15. The strike began Sept. 2.
But with negotiations between the teachers and the board in the 6,900-student district at a virtual standstill on wages and healthcare, the main issues, the two sides reached an agreement last night for the teachers to return to work a few days early. The union membership voted this afternoon to end the strike while the arbitration process plays out.
The arbitration process which is dictated by state law, works like this: a three-member panel will be established, with each side appointing one member and a neutral member selected from a list. The panel will receive each side's proposals, which will be made public, and will hold hearings. Then it will issue a proposed agreement, based on the two sides' positions. The process normally takes several months.
Either side can reject the arbitration board's proposed settlement; the district's 512 teachers could then go back on strike but would have to return to work in time for students to get in 180 days of classes by June 30.
The two sides remain far apart on wage and benefit issues.
The school board estimates that the two sides are about $1.5 million apart on the cost of their health care proposals and about $10 million apart on the combined costs of health care and salaries. The union leadership says it is willing to reduce its salary demands, but only if the school board improves its healthcare offer.
The teachers' last wage proposal was for a four-year contract with average payroll increases of 5.98 percent in the first year, 9.4 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third, and 6.9 percent in the fourth. The school board is proposing a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
On health care, the district now offers three insurance plans, with teachers contributing 10 percent of the premium for the most comprehensive one, 5 percent for one that has fewer benefits and more co-payments, and no premium contribution for a bare-bones plan. The board wants to eliminate the most comprehensive plan, to charge teachers a 4 percent premium contribution for the plan that used to have no contribution, and to charge a 12 percent premium contribution for the other plan.
The school district is now self-insured; the union wants to switch to a Blue Cross / Blue Shield plan, leave the percentages of premium contributions the same and add some improvements.
School reopens Friday in Souderton
By Dan Hardy, Posted on Thu, Sep. 18, 2008
Striking teachers in Montgomery County's Souderton Area School District will be back in their classrooms tomorrow, with the two sides agreeing to enter into non-binding arbitration.
The Schools will reopen at their regular times.
State law mandates that the teachers would have had to go back to work next Wednesday, in order to get in 180 days of instruction by June 15. The strike began Sept. 2.
But with negotiations between the teachers and the board in the 6,900-student district at a virtual standstill on wages and healthcare, the main issues, the two sides reached an agreement last night for the teachers to return to work a few days early. The union membership voted this afternoon to end the strike while the arbitration process plays out.
The arbitration process which is dictated by state law, works like this: a three-member panel will be established, with each side appointing one member and a neutral member selected from a list. The panel will receive each side's proposals, which will be made public, and will hold hearings. Then it will issue a proposed agreement, based on the two sides' positions. The process normally takes several months.
Either side can reject the arbitration board's proposed settlement; the district's 512 teachers could then go back on strike but would have to return to work in time for students to get in 180 days of classes by June 30.
The two sides remain far apart on wage and benefit issues.
The school board estimates that the two sides are about $1.5 million apart on the cost of their health care proposals and about $10 million apart on the combined costs of health care and salaries. The union leadership says it is willing to reduce its salary demands, but only if the school board improves its healthcare offer.
The teachers' last wage proposal was for a four-year contract with average payroll increases of 5.98 percent in the first year, 9.4 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third, and 6.9 percent in the fourth. The school board is proposing a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
On health care, the district now offers three insurance plans, with teachers contributing 10 percent of the premium for the most comprehensive one, 5 percent for one that has fewer benefits and more co-payments, and no premium contribution for a bare-bones plan. The board wants to eliminate the most comprehensive plan, to charge teachers a 4 percent premium contribution for the plan that used to have no contribution, and to charge a 12 percent premium contribution for the other plan.
The school district is now self-insured; the union wants to switch to a Blue Cross / Blue Shield plan, leave the percentages of premium contributions the same and add some improvements.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Souderton: “There’s a price to be paid"
From the BCCT
Strike proves costly for many
By RICH PIETRAS
It’s hard to predict the outcome of the Souderton Area School District strike. But it goes without saying, before the teachers decide to put their picket signs down, the price tag is going up.
Parents and students are taking a hit. Children have nowhere to spend afternoons once occupied in the classroom. The cost of childcare, plus the gas to get them there, is a burden.
While teachers are somewhat insulated from lost wages because 180 school days will have to be fulfilled, the average teacher could lose $3,000 in pay because of the strike.
According to Bill Lukridge, president of the teachers union, teachers stand to lose 5 percent of their salary. Based on the average salary in the district ($61,630 for the 2005-06 school year) that comes to about $3,000.
School board solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik sounded surprised that it took the union so long to realize there was salary at stake.
“There’s a price to be paid for going on strike,” Sultanik said.
Teachers, who have been on strike since Sept. 2, do not get a paycheck during the strike, but will receive checks after they are forced to return to work on Wednesday as the sides move into nonbinding arbitration. If no deal is reached, teachers could strike again in the spring, but would have to return after about a week to guarantee students will get 180 days of schooling.
What the teachers will lose is the in-service days in their contracts. The teachers worked three of those days in August, but nine remain.
Sultanik said the district does not intend to make up the nine in-service days.
“They already lost the days of the strike,” Sultanik said. “And in our opinion, it’s not our intention to make up those days.”
The union estimates the district would save nearly $1.5 million from the work stoppage by not having to pay teachers for those nine days. And, it argues, that $1.5 million is enough to close nearly the entire gap between the school board and union’s health plan proposals.
“If the union is willing to give up those makeup days, we are willing to talk about that in terms of the overall context of the bargaining,” Sultanik said.
Keep up on the latest in the Souderton strike at www.intelligencernow.com/category/souderton-school-strike. For updates on negotiations, visit www.soudertonsd.org and www.saea.info/.
Strike proves costly for many
By RICH PIETRAS
It’s hard to predict the outcome of the Souderton Area School District strike. But it goes without saying, before the teachers decide to put their picket signs down, the price tag is going up.
Parents and students are taking a hit. Children have nowhere to spend afternoons once occupied in the classroom. The cost of childcare, plus the gas to get them there, is a burden.
While teachers are somewhat insulated from lost wages because 180 school days will have to be fulfilled, the average teacher could lose $3,000 in pay because of the strike.
According to Bill Lukridge, president of the teachers union, teachers stand to lose 5 percent of their salary. Based on the average salary in the district ($61,630 for the 2005-06 school year) that comes to about $3,000.
School board solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik sounded surprised that it took the union so long to realize there was salary at stake.
“There’s a price to be paid for going on strike,” Sultanik said.
Teachers, who have been on strike since Sept. 2, do not get a paycheck during the strike, but will receive checks after they are forced to return to work on Wednesday as the sides move into nonbinding arbitration. If no deal is reached, teachers could strike again in the spring, but would have to return after about a week to guarantee students will get 180 days of schooling.
What the teachers will lose is the in-service days in their contracts. The teachers worked three of those days in August, but nine remain.
Sultanik said the district does not intend to make up the nine in-service days.
“They already lost the days of the strike,” Sultanik said. “And in our opinion, it’s not our intention to make up those days.”
The union estimates the district would save nearly $1.5 million from the work stoppage by not having to pay teachers for those nine days. And, it argues, that $1.5 million is enough to close nearly the entire gap between the school board and union’s health plan proposals.
“If the union is willing to give up those makeup days, we are willing to talk about that in terms of the overall context of the bargaining,” Sultanik said.
Keep up on the latest in the Souderton strike at www.intelligencernow.com/category/souderton-school-strike. For updates on negotiations, visit www.soudertonsd.org and www.saea.info/.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Souderton strike talks break down
From the Doylestown Intelligencer. Things are getting uglier.
Souderton strike talks break down
By RICH PIETRAS
The Intelligencer
Seven hours of talks versus 15 days of picketing.
That's all you need to know about the three negotiating sessions in the Souderton Area School strike to know how it's going. And after both sides met for only an hour on Monday to no avail, it appears short sessions will be the norm until the teachers are forced back on Sept. 24. At which point the negotiations go to another level.
Gary Smith, representative of the teachers union, characterized recent negotiation sessions as holdouts until both sides are forced to go before an arbitrator. While the three sessions have been held with a state mediator, who has tried to “aid the talks,” an arbitrator's job will be aimed at forcing both sides to change their positions.
“I feel both sides are waiting to go before arbitration because they don't want to hurt themselves,” Smith said. “And I disagree that the teachers association has not negotiated in good faith. A mediator has been working hard hearing both sides, and some compromises have been made.
“However, I don't see that there is enough movement from any party to warrant changing position,” Smith said.
Once state law brings the teachers back Sept. 24, the arbitration process begins as both sides move toward a “final best offer.”
After both parties release their offers, a neutral third party arbitrator is brought in, chosen by each side or by the Labor Board if the sides can't agree. This is followed by a public scrutiny period, where the public can see both proposals.
Then, 10 days later, the arbitrator presents a proposed contract. Each party gets a chance to accept it and if they can't agree, the teachers could vote to strike again in the spring.
But Jeffrey Sultanik, school board's solicitor and main negotiator, said the board is not merely content to wait for an arbitrator.
Sultanik said that although the board made concessions on its proposal for in-service days and parent conference days, it paled in comparison to the union's insistence that the board agree to a health insurance plan that will cost the district $1.9 million more than the offer they have on the table.
And with another mediated negotiation session set for Friday, the real talks may not start until next week.
The teachers union was reportedly seeking an average annual salary increase of 8.2 percent over four years, partly in an effort to raise starting salaries that rank last in Montgomery County at just over $36,000. The school board has countered with a 2.5 percent raise in each of three years.
Souderton teachers did get some company on the strike line Monday when the Saucon Valley Education Association in Lehigh County went on strike. According to the Souderton union, the teachers there have been offered raises that range from 4.7 percent to 6.5 percent.
Keep up on the latest in the Souderton strike at www.intelligencernow.com/category/souderton-school-strike. Also, for updates on negotiations, visit www.soudertonsd.org and www.saea.info/.
“Despite what the union leadership has been communicating to the public, the union negotiator has not made a single counterproposal to the salary plan the board submitted on Sept. 1,” school board president Bernie Currie said in a statement. “Half of the month has passed since then. It is more than disheartening for us and for the families within this school district.”
Bill Lukridge, president of the teachers union said the board once again avoided the issues of salary and benefits, stating that, “The school board knows that for movement on salary we require the condition that the school board moves on medical.
“We have tied medical care with salary because the two are interrelated. They know we don't want to deal with their salary proposal until we know what they are thinking in relations to co-pays, deductibles and premium shares.”
When asked if he though both sides were “entrenched in their positions,” Lukridge answered, “Yes we are, on both sides.”
Souderton strike talks break down
By RICH PIETRAS
The Intelligencer
Seven hours of talks versus 15 days of picketing.
That's all you need to know about the three negotiating sessions in the Souderton Area School strike to know how it's going. And after both sides met for only an hour on Monday to no avail, it appears short sessions will be the norm until the teachers are forced back on Sept. 24. At which point the negotiations go to another level.
Gary Smith, representative of the teachers union, characterized recent negotiation sessions as holdouts until both sides are forced to go before an arbitrator. While the three sessions have been held with a state mediator, who has tried to “aid the talks,” an arbitrator's job will be aimed at forcing both sides to change their positions.
“I feel both sides are waiting to go before arbitration because they don't want to hurt themselves,” Smith said. “And I disagree that the teachers association has not negotiated in good faith. A mediator has been working hard hearing both sides, and some compromises have been made.
“However, I don't see that there is enough movement from any party to warrant changing position,” Smith said.
Once state law brings the teachers back Sept. 24, the arbitration process begins as both sides move toward a “final best offer.”
After both parties release their offers, a neutral third party arbitrator is brought in, chosen by each side or by the Labor Board if the sides can't agree. This is followed by a public scrutiny period, where the public can see both proposals.
Then, 10 days later, the arbitrator presents a proposed contract. Each party gets a chance to accept it and if they can't agree, the teachers could vote to strike again in the spring.
But Jeffrey Sultanik, school board's solicitor and main negotiator, said the board is not merely content to wait for an arbitrator.
Sultanik said that although the board made concessions on its proposal for in-service days and parent conference days, it paled in comparison to the union's insistence that the board agree to a health insurance plan that will cost the district $1.9 million more than the offer they have on the table.
And with another mediated negotiation session set for Friday, the real talks may not start until next week.
The teachers union was reportedly seeking an average annual salary increase of 8.2 percent over four years, partly in an effort to raise starting salaries that rank last in Montgomery County at just over $36,000. The school board has countered with a 2.5 percent raise in each of three years.
Souderton teachers did get some company on the strike line Monday when the Saucon Valley Education Association in Lehigh County went on strike. According to the Souderton union, the teachers there have been offered raises that range from 4.7 percent to 6.5 percent.
Keep up on the latest in the Souderton strike at www.intelligencernow.com/category/souderton-school-strike. Also, for updates on negotiations, visit www.soudertonsd.org and www.saea.info/.
“Despite what the union leadership has been communicating to the public, the union negotiator has not made a single counterproposal to the salary plan the board submitted on Sept. 1,” school board president Bernie Currie said in a statement. “Half of the month has passed since then. It is more than disheartening for us and for the families within this school district.”
Bill Lukridge, president of the teachers union said the board once again avoided the issues of salary and benefits, stating that, “The school board knows that for movement on salary we require the condition that the school board moves on medical.
“We have tied medical care with salary because the two are interrelated. They know we don't want to deal with their salary proposal until we know what they are thinking in relations to co-pays, deductibles and premium shares.”
When asked if he though both sides were “entrenched in their positions,” Lukridge answered, “Yes we are, on both sides.”
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
An update on the Souderton strike from thereporteronline.com
Teachers walk the line, By Dan Sokil 09/10/2008
The second week of the Souderton Area Education Association's strike has brought some changes to where the district's teachers are walking the picket lines, and Tuesday's showers brought a bit of an interruption, too.
"Today, because of the hazardous weather condition, we had to cancel our picketing; it wasn't able to take place because of the weather," said SAEA president Bill Lukridge on Tuesday.
The soaking rainfall that started around 10 a.m. caused teachers on those picket lines to pack up their strike signs and seek shelter, but only from four strategic sites due to a change in picket policy.
"We are now picketing four major spots: the high school, Franconia Elementary, Indian Valley Middle School, and West Broad Street," Lukridge said, "because they appear to be getting the most traffic, and we want to make the most obvious presence we can."
Last Tuesday when the strike began, teachers picketed at all nine district public schools, and the construction site of the future Souderton Area High School, but not this week.
"We were out there one day, where the new high school is under construction, but we found out that most of the laborers there were non-union and were not going to honor our picket line anyway," said Lukridge.
Teachers are out on the picket lines in three different shifts from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., but if bad weather like Tuesday's rain storms happens, they are free to seek safety.
"There are no rules about the number of days we have to be out there, just as long as we're picketing because we're on strike," Lukridge said.
"Regarding being on the school property, there are some laws we can't violate, but as far as picketing there are no laws that we are aware of," he said.
And if their numbers look a little smaller than that 448-17 strike vote taken two Thursdays ago, that's because teachers are up to other things too.
"Other teachers are performing non-picketing tasks, such as communications. We have a task force committee that has multiple jobs in it, and some of our members who are not out on the strike lines are members of our settlement task force, who are trying to get information out to people," Lukridge said.
Some of those committee members have been helping update the SAEA's Web site,
www.saea.info, which now features a Q&A section, salary and health-care facts, and updates on negotiation progress.
"Let's face it, we're at a disadvantage here. We don't have a public TV channel like the school district has, we don't have the opportunity to mail to everybody in the district, we don't have that database, so what we have to do is try to get that information out in other ways," Lukridge said.
For example, Lukridge said that statistics provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education show that the district collects the sixth-highest tax revenue in Montgomery County, but spends the least per student of the 22 county school districts.
"We can prove our side of the story by the PDE information," Lukridge said. "This is incontrovertible, the numbers that the school district has to supply to the PDE, and we're hoping that people can have that information that will back our position, or their position."
Are they seeing much support from the public? From some, but not from all, he said.
"We have bashers and we have backers, there are people who are supportive and people who aren't," he said.
"Striking is never a pleasant thing, and it's not what we really set out to do, but we think it's necessary to get us past this labor impasse," Lukridge said.
Teachers walk the line, By Dan Sokil 09/10/2008
The second week of the Souderton Area Education Association's strike has brought some changes to where the district's teachers are walking the picket lines, and Tuesday's showers brought a bit of an interruption, too.
"Today, because of the hazardous weather condition, we had to cancel our picketing; it wasn't able to take place because of the weather," said SAEA president Bill Lukridge on Tuesday.
The soaking rainfall that started around 10 a.m. caused teachers on those picket lines to pack up their strike signs and seek shelter, but only from four strategic sites due to a change in picket policy.
"We are now picketing four major spots: the high school, Franconia Elementary, Indian Valley Middle School, and West Broad Street," Lukridge said, "because they appear to be getting the most traffic, and we want to make the most obvious presence we can."
Last Tuesday when the strike began, teachers picketed at all nine district public schools, and the construction site of the future Souderton Area High School, but not this week.
"We were out there one day, where the new high school is under construction, but we found out that most of the laborers there were non-union and were not going to honor our picket line anyway," said Lukridge.
Teachers are out on the picket lines in three different shifts from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., but if bad weather like Tuesday's rain storms happens, they are free to seek safety.
"There are no rules about the number of days we have to be out there, just as long as we're picketing because we're on strike," Lukridge said.
"Regarding being on the school property, there are some laws we can't violate, but as far as picketing there are no laws that we are aware of," he said.
And if their numbers look a little smaller than that 448-17 strike vote taken two Thursdays ago, that's because teachers are up to other things too.
"Other teachers are performing non-picketing tasks, such as communications. We have a task force committee that has multiple jobs in it, and some of our members who are not out on the strike lines are members of our settlement task force, who are trying to get information out to people," Lukridge said.
Some of those committee members have been helping update the SAEA's Web site,
www.saea.info, which now features a Q&A section, salary and health-care facts, and updates on negotiation progress.
"Let's face it, we're at a disadvantage here. We don't have a public TV channel like the school district has, we don't have the opportunity to mail to everybody in the district, we don't have that database, so what we have to do is try to get that information out in other ways," Lukridge said.
For example, Lukridge said that statistics provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education show that the district collects the sixth-highest tax revenue in Montgomery County, but spends the least per student of the 22 county school districts.
"We can prove our side of the story by the PDE information," Lukridge said. "This is incontrovertible, the numbers that the school district has to supply to the PDE, and we're hoping that people can have that information that will back our position, or their position."
Are they seeing much support from the public? From some, but not from all, he said.
"We have bashers and we have backers, there are people who are supportive and people who aren't," he said.
"Striking is never a pleasant thing, and it's not what we really set out to do, but we think it's necessary to get us past this labor impasse," Lukridge said.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Community Growth and School Funding
From the BCCT. The graphics from the story are pretty compelling. Take a look at the Bucks districts vs. the Montgomery districts.
Growth at issue in talks
At the heart of Souderton’s contract dispute is whether its growth is helping or hurting its ability to pay teachers more.
By RICH PIETRAS
When weighing the salary issue that remains a big part of the Souderton school strike, the district and the teachers union are telling taxpayers to look at two different things.
The teachers point out that Souderton is growing, and its residential tax base is growing with it. The district argues that while more people are moving in, the school district does not have the commercial tax base that other school districts in Montgomery County enjoy.
That disagreement lies at the heart of the salary dispute that has kept teachers and students out of school for a week. A fruitless negotiating session held Friday lasted only an hour and no new talks are scheduled.
“We acknowledge the school district is growing,” Jeffrey Sultanik, the district’s solicitor and chief negotiator said. “But in comparison to the other districts, we don’t receive the same commercial taxes as others.”
To bolster its case, the district points to the state’s “aid ratio,” a number that combines the number of students in a district, the amount of taxable real estate it has and how much income its residents report and puts it through a formula to help determine how much state aid it will get.
Michael Race, of the state department of education, said that while the aid ratio isn’t the sole factor for determining funding, it is a number that is useful in determining the rank of a district’s residential and commercial wealth.
According to the state, the aid ratio for the Souderton Area School District puts it 16th out of 21 Montgomery County school districts.
Gary Smith, who is representing the teachers union, said solely looking at the aid ratio today does not take into account incoming growth.
“There are certainly a lot of people moving in, but there’s a huge amount of commercial growth occurring right now along the 309 corridor. Souderton is going to be one of the busiest places.”
Smith also contends that the district pleading the case that it is a poorer district is simply not true.
While Souderton ranks 16th in the taxable real estate portion of the aid-ratio formula, it ranks 13th in the personal income category.
While the district says it can’t afford the teachers’ 8.2 percent average salary increase proposal over the next four years, Smith contends the total taxes collected in the district rank seventhhighest in Montgomery County.
The union also contends the school board, which has offered the teachers 2.5 percent over three years, has refused to dip into a nearly $17 million reserve fund to help with new teacher contracts.
“What we’ve found out is Souderton has somewhere between $17 [million] and $20 million in reserved funds, which is around 20 percent of their expenditure. But the Pennsylvania Department of Education advises school districts to hold between 5 and 7 percent of their expenditure in a rainy day fund.”
Sultanik agreed Souderton has a large reserve fund and said the district was willing to spend “some” of that money on new contracts.
“This money is allocated for specific purposes,” Sultanik said. “When you have 7,000 students housed in many buildings that need money for upkeep, and you are also building a new high school, all districts need a fund balance to deal with.
“The fact that we have a savings account, does not mean we spend it all on teachers.”
And if all the statistics, reserve funds and salary demands seem high, the stakes might be higher.
“We have three contracts up, not just one,” Smith said addressing the situation with the teachers, secretaries and aides that have been without contracts since June. “If any of those contracts are not settled, they won’t be opening that new high school next year.”
Growth at issue in talks
At the heart of Souderton’s contract dispute is whether its growth is helping or hurting its ability to pay teachers more.
By RICH PIETRAS
When weighing the salary issue that remains a big part of the Souderton school strike, the district and the teachers union are telling taxpayers to look at two different things.
The teachers point out that Souderton is growing, and its residential tax base is growing with it. The district argues that while more people are moving in, the school district does not have the commercial tax base that other school districts in Montgomery County enjoy.
That disagreement lies at the heart of the salary dispute that has kept teachers and students out of school for a week. A fruitless negotiating session held Friday lasted only an hour and no new talks are scheduled.
“We acknowledge the school district is growing,” Jeffrey Sultanik, the district’s solicitor and chief negotiator said. “But in comparison to the other districts, we don’t receive the same commercial taxes as others.”
To bolster its case, the district points to the state’s “aid ratio,” a number that combines the number of students in a district, the amount of taxable real estate it has and how much income its residents report and puts it through a formula to help determine how much state aid it will get.
Michael Race, of the state department of education, said that while the aid ratio isn’t the sole factor for determining funding, it is a number that is useful in determining the rank of a district’s residential and commercial wealth.
According to the state, the aid ratio for the Souderton Area School District puts it 16th out of 21 Montgomery County school districts.
Gary Smith, who is representing the teachers union, said solely looking at the aid ratio today does not take into account incoming growth.
“There are certainly a lot of people moving in, but there’s a huge amount of commercial growth occurring right now along the 309 corridor. Souderton is going to be one of the busiest places.”
Smith also contends that the district pleading the case that it is a poorer district is simply not true.
While Souderton ranks 16th in the taxable real estate portion of the aid-ratio formula, it ranks 13th in the personal income category.
While the district says it can’t afford the teachers’ 8.2 percent average salary increase proposal over the next four years, Smith contends the total taxes collected in the district rank seventhhighest in Montgomery County.
The union also contends the school board, which has offered the teachers 2.5 percent over three years, has refused to dip into a nearly $17 million reserve fund to help with new teacher contracts.
“What we’ve found out is Souderton has somewhere between $17 [million] and $20 million in reserved funds, which is around 20 percent of their expenditure. But the Pennsylvania Department of Education advises school districts to hold between 5 and 7 percent of their expenditure in a rainy day fund.”
Sultanik agreed Souderton has a large reserve fund and said the district was willing to spend “some” of that money on new contracts.
“This money is allocated for specific purposes,” Sultanik said. “When you have 7,000 students housed in many buildings that need money for upkeep, and you are also building a new high school, all districts need a fund balance to deal with.
“The fact that we have a savings account, does not mean we spend it all on teachers.”
And if all the statistics, reserve funds and salary demands seem high, the stakes might be higher.
“We have three contracts up, not just one,” Smith said addressing the situation with the teachers, secretaries and aides that have been without contracts since June. “If any of those contracts are not settled, they won’t be opening that new high school next year.”
Punishment over Negotiations?
From the Inquirer. It looks like a long series of meetings ahead in Souderton.
But wait. Why should they have all the rancor and angst? There's a second story from the BCCT, and it looks like Morrisville can witness some of the Souderton tough love negotiations right here in our backyard. The Souderton solicitor is going to be representing the Pennsbury school board during this year's contract negotiations.
One of the comments left on the BCCT article provided some food for thought: "How is $77,000 a year, with a master's degree & 15 years of experience, making too much?" It's too much only to the people who wasted their own opportunity at gaining an education and now know it's too late. Bringing others down to their level of knowledge makes then feel better about their own poor choices.
Talks break down in Phila. area school strike
By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Sat, Sep. 6, 2008
Talks between striking Souderton Area School District teachers and the school board broke down yesterday morning after one hour, with no progress reported.
Negotiations likely will resume next week, said Bill Lukridge, president of the Souderton Area Education Association, but no date has been set. The strike began Tuesday.
The sides are far apart; the main issues in the 5,900-student district are wages and health-care benefits.
Each side blamed the other for the stalemate.
School board attorney and negotiator Jeffrey Sultanik said that because the strike is in progress, the school board brought up proposals at the session on how many teacher days would be made up, salary retroactivity, and health care payments.
"We had also requested that the union counter our salary proposal that we made on Labor Day, which they had never countered," Sultanik said. After state mediator Jill Leeds Rivera told the board that the union was not countering the salary proposal and not responding to the new strike-related proposals, "she suspended the talks," Sultanik said.
Rob Broderick, a staffer with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement that "the school board came in and instead of negotiating what was on the table, threw new items onto the table related to what happens after the strike." He added: "The board is obviously more interested in punishing teachers than in negotiating."
The 512-member union's last wage proposal was for a 5.98 percent wage increase in the first year of a four-year agreement, 9.40 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third and 6.90 percent in the fourth. The school board has proposed a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
The school board wants to eliminate the teachers' highest-tier health plan, and to institute higher premium contributions and more co-pays for the remaining two plans. The union wants to leave all three plans in place with the same percentages of premium contributions that are now in effect, and wants improvements.
Even if no agreement is reached, under Pennsylvania law the teachers must return to work by Sept. 24, in time for students to receive 180 days of instruction by June 15, 2009.
The Souderton strike is the only one in the Philadelphia area this fall, but on Wednesday, teachers in Delaware County's Springfield School District authorized their leadership to call a strike if necessary. No strike deadline has been set; a bargaining session Thursday night did not result in an agreement. No further talks have been scheduled.
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Souderton solicitor tapped for negotiations
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Jeffrey Sultanik, the solicitor involved in Souderton's tense contract negotiations, will represent Pennsbury's school board during this year's teacher contract negotiations.
The district's previous contract negotiation in 2005 resulted in a 21-day teacher strike over a salary and benefits dispute.
Contract negotiations in Souderton, where Sultanik is representing the school board, have likewise come to a standstill.
Teachers there are on strike in part because their starting salaries are lower than those of other Montgomery County school districts. The strike has forced schools to remain closed.
The Souderton school board is concerned that teachers in the top tiers of the salary schedule will be overpaid if the union's proposal wins.
According to the union proposal, teachers with a master's degree at step 14 of a 15-step pay scale will receive a $17,280 pay increase.
The board proposed adding further steps to the salary schedule to prevent large differences in pay from one year to the next.
About 40 percent of district teachers are at the highest step.
If a resolution is not reached by Sept. 23, teachers will have to go back to work while arbitration proceedings begin.
At $77,524, Pennsbury's average teacher salary ranks within the top 10 of 727 school districts in the state.
In Souderton, the average teacher salary was $63,158, ranking at 55th in the state in 2006-07, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The district hired Sultanik in late spring after interviewing three attorneys. He is a labor relations lawyer for municipal and school organizations.
“We were very impressed with him when we interviewed him. He seemed to be very well versed in contract negotiations and had a good reputation,” said Gregory Lucidi, Pennsbury's school board president.
Lower Makefield resident Simon Campbell, who closely follows teachers union activities, is pleased with Pennsbury's choice.
“I know a lot of the lawyers that negotiate these contracts, and he has a reputation for being a tough negotiator, which is a good thing. The local school boards are the last line of defense for taxpayers,” he said.
Campbell is president and founder of Stop Teacher Strikes Inc., a group that advocates making teacher strikes illegal in Pennsylvania, one of the 13 states that allow them.
He argues that teachers get paid too much and that union proposals for higher pay are a drain on taxpayers.
Lucidi anticipates starting some negotiation sessions with the Pennsbury Education Association in January so both sides can present their proposals. “We might even start with just a sit-down session to throw ideas around,” he said.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful in reaching union representatives after several attempts Friday afternoon.
But wait. Why should they have all the rancor and angst? There's a second story from the BCCT, and it looks like Morrisville can witness some of the Souderton tough love negotiations right here in our backyard. The Souderton solicitor is going to be representing the Pennsbury school board during this year's contract negotiations.
One of the comments left on the BCCT article provided some food for thought: "How is $77,000 a year, with a master's degree & 15 years of experience, making too much?" It's too much only to the people who wasted their own opportunity at gaining an education and now know it's too late. Bringing others down to their level of knowledge makes then feel better about their own poor choices.
Talks break down in Phila. area school strike
By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Sat, Sep. 6, 2008
Talks between striking Souderton Area School District teachers and the school board broke down yesterday morning after one hour, with no progress reported.
Negotiations likely will resume next week, said Bill Lukridge, president of the Souderton Area Education Association, but no date has been set. The strike began Tuesday.
The sides are far apart; the main issues in the 5,900-student district are wages and health-care benefits.
Each side blamed the other for the stalemate.
School board attorney and negotiator Jeffrey Sultanik said that because the strike is in progress, the school board brought up proposals at the session on how many teacher days would be made up, salary retroactivity, and health care payments.
"We had also requested that the union counter our salary proposal that we made on Labor Day, which they had never countered," Sultanik said. After state mediator Jill Leeds Rivera told the board that the union was not countering the salary proposal and not responding to the new strike-related proposals, "she suspended the talks," Sultanik said.
Rob Broderick, a staffer with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement that "the school board came in and instead of negotiating what was on the table, threw new items onto the table related to what happens after the strike." He added: "The board is obviously more interested in punishing teachers than in negotiating."
The 512-member union's last wage proposal was for a 5.98 percent wage increase in the first year of a four-year agreement, 9.40 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third and 6.90 percent in the fourth. The school board has proposed a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
The school board wants to eliminate the teachers' highest-tier health plan, and to institute higher premium contributions and more co-pays for the remaining two plans. The union wants to leave all three plans in place with the same percentages of premium contributions that are now in effect, and wants improvements.
Even if no agreement is reached, under Pennsylvania law the teachers must return to work by Sept. 24, in time for students to receive 180 days of instruction by June 15, 2009.
The Souderton strike is the only one in the Philadelphia area this fall, but on Wednesday, teachers in Delaware County's Springfield School District authorized their leadership to call a strike if necessary. No strike deadline has been set; a bargaining session Thursday night did not result in an agreement. No further talks have been scheduled.
----------------------------------------------
Souderton solicitor tapped for negotiations
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Jeffrey Sultanik, the solicitor involved in Souderton's tense contract negotiations, will represent Pennsbury's school board during this year's teacher contract negotiations.
The district's previous contract negotiation in 2005 resulted in a 21-day teacher strike over a salary and benefits dispute.
Contract negotiations in Souderton, where Sultanik is representing the school board, have likewise come to a standstill.
Teachers there are on strike in part because their starting salaries are lower than those of other Montgomery County school districts. The strike has forced schools to remain closed.
The Souderton school board is concerned that teachers in the top tiers of the salary schedule will be overpaid if the union's proposal wins.
According to the union proposal, teachers with a master's degree at step 14 of a 15-step pay scale will receive a $17,280 pay increase.
The board proposed adding further steps to the salary schedule to prevent large differences in pay from one year to the next.
About 40 percent of district teachers are at the highest step.
If a resolution is not reached by Sept. 23, teachers will have to go back to work while arbitration proceedings begin.
At $77,524, Pennsbury's average teacher salary ranks within the top 10 of 727 school districts in the state.
In Souderton, the average teacher salary was $63,158, ranking at 55th in the state in 2006-07, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The district hired Sultanik in late spring after interviewing three attorneys. He is a labor relations lawyer for municipal and school organizations.
“We were very impressed with him when we interviewed him. He seemed to be very well versed in contract negotiations and had a good reputation,” said Gregory Lucidi, Pennsbury's school board president.
Lower Makefield resident Simon Campbell, who closely follows teachers union activities, is pleased with Pennsbury's choice.
“I know a lot of the lawyers that negotiate these contracts, and he has a reputation for being a tough negotiator, which is a good thing. The local school boards are the last line of defense for taxpayers,” he said.
Campbell is president and founder of Stop Teacher Strikes Inc., a group that advocates making teacher strikes illegal in Pennsylvania, one of the 13 states that allow them.
He argues that teachers get paid too much and that union proposals for higher pay are a drain on taxpayers.
Lucidi anticipates starting some negotiation sessions with the Pennsbury Education Association in January so both sides can present their proposals. “We might even start with just a sit-down session to throw ideas around,” he said.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful in reaching union representatives after several attempts Friday afternoon.
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