Teachers' Contract Expires June 30; Pay Freeze Likely

The Saucon Valley School Board passed a resolution at its June 12 meeting agreeing to maintain the status quo if the collective bargaining agreement between and the Saucon Valley Education Association--which represent's the district's teachers--expires June 30.

Although negotiations are reportedly ongoing, the resolution states that an agreement before then seems unlikely due to considerable differences in the bargaining positions between the school board and the SVEA.

If an agreement is not reached before June 30, teachers’ salaries will be frozen based on their 2011-2012 salaries until an agreement has been reached.

In addition, they will be required to pay their percentage premium share for health benefit premiums depending on the health plans chosen.

Teachers will continue to receive their salaries unless there is a strike or lockout.

The last time Saucon Valley teachers struck was in 2009, when schools were closed for 12 days. Shorter strikes occurred in 2008 and 2005, respectively.

Although no agreement with teachers has been reached, at the June 12 meeting.

The budget does not include salary increases for teachers.

In other business, Joe Solomon, president of Provident Energy Consulting, updated the board about the district’s guaranteed energy savings project.

“We’re seeing the fruits of our labor,” said Solomon.

He told the board that the implementation stage of the project is almost finished, and that within less than a five-month period, the district has already realized a savings of $37,000.

During the summer, there will be controls in use to help with energy savings.

The controls can be used to completely shut down the campus or provide limited lighting and temperature regulation for those times when there are few or no employees in the buildings.

Solomon said he has also been in discussions with UGI to get a generator for the high school, which he said “could be a very cost effective opportunity.”

“Everything is looking very rosy from my perspective,” Solomon said of the whole project.

School board member Lanita Lum questioned how long it would take for the district to pay off the project.

Solomon said it could take 10 to 12 years, but would provide savings for years to come after that.

The board will be updated on the project on a quarterly basis.