SV Parent Tells Board She's Worried about Teacher Morale

A parent and recent transplant to the Saucon Valley School District told the school board Tuesday she's concerned about low teacher and staff morale, as well as the threat of another teacher strike, the Morning Call reported.

According to an article in the newspaper, board member Ralph Puerta responded to Catherine Denzel's comments by telling her the board's motivations shouldn't be interpreted solely on the basis of media reports, and board treasurer Ed Inghrim said that in addition to students and teachers, the board is also responsible to the district's taxpayers.

Negotiations between the board and the teachers' union have been ongoing for nearly two years, and due to the slowness of the process, a request for a neutral fact-finding report was recently made to the state's Labor Relations Board.

That report is due later this month.

According to a previously published Morning Call story, two of the issues that have become sticking points in the contract talks are a teacher retirement incentive program and the decision-making process for teachers who want to obtain a district-paid graduate degree.

The Saucon Valley teachers have been working without a contract since June 30, 2012.

The district has a recent history of labor-related acrimony, with teachers having struck in 2005, 2008 and 2009.