School District to Hold Presentation on Fact-Finder's Report

It was announced over the weekend that the Saucon Valley School District's teacher contract negotiations team will hold a public presentation on the report recently issued by a state-appointed fact-finder, who made recommendations to help end a contract dispute in the district.

The Saucon Valley School Board voted 7-2 earlier this month to accept the report, while the Saucon Valley Education Association—the union that represents the teachers—has twice voted to reject the 30-page report, which is published online.

According to an email from school district superintendent Dr. Sandra Fellin about the planned presentation, it will focus on "the fact-finder's report and the board’s negotiating position."

The presentation will be held Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Saucon Valley High School auditorium.

The district and teachers have been in negotiations for a new contract since January 2012, and teachers have been working without a contract since their old one expired on June 30, 2012.

It remains unclear which recommendations within the fact-finder's report are sticking points for the SVEA.

The union's chief negotiator, Jim Colbert, said in an email after the second vote to reject the report that teachers "remain hopeful that the parties will be able to reach a settlement in the near future."

He said the SVEA planned to contact the members of the school board’s negotiating team to set a meeting date as soon as possible, but declined to discuss any specific details about the SVEA's positions, since talks are ongoing.