SV Teacher Contract Talks Stalled Over Graduate Course Pay, Retirement Incentive

By Jack Tobias

The Saucon Valley School Board gave its views on a fact-finding report and the heard the views of residents, and for the first time the teachers union spoke publicly about its views.

Those were highlights from Thursday's special public board meeting, based on a story posted on the Express-Times website.

Patch, meanwhile, has previously reported that while the school board voted 7-2 to accept the fact-finder's report, the teachers union voted twice to reject it.

The Express-Times story said the two sides are close to agreement on salary and benefits, and that the board said talks are stalled over payments for graduate course work and phasing out a retirement incentive.

The union did not comment during Thursday's meeting but spoke afterward.

Saucon Valley Education Association president Theresa Andreucci told the Express-Times, "I'm really concerned about the atmosphere and environment. We have teachers that are dedicated professionals that work day in and day out and somehow it seems it goes unappreciated."

Neither Andreucci not the union's chief negotiator, Jim Colbert, responded to Patch emails Friday requesting further comment.

A website, OurSaucon.com, has been established "to help educate the community about the current state of negotiations between the Saucon Valley Education Association and the Saucon Valley School Board" and as "a place to get the educators’ perspective on the contract negotiations," according to its About page.

Saucon Valley teachers have been working without a contract since June 30, 2012, and negotiations have been ongoing for nearly two years.

Patch also previously reported that the union approached the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board to provide a fact-finder.

The school district has posted the report of fact-finder Rochelle K. Kaplan, an attorney, on its website. It also has posted a school board report on the fact-finder's report.

The following are some of the key issues and recommendations being discussed, gleaned from both the fact-finder and school board reports:

SALARY

--Freeze in first year of four-year contract (the four-year contract would be retroactive, thus covering the 2012-2013 as its first year).

--2.5 percent increase in second year, plus a $1,500 bonus for most teachers.

--No salary increase in third year; everyone gets $1,500 bonus.

--Effective 14th pay period of fourth year, each cell on the salary schedule would increase $950, with a new salary schedule reflecting the $950 addition.

TUITION REIMBURSEMENT

--For courses relating to teaching certificates and master's degrees, reduce reimbursement rate from 125 percent to 100 percent of East Stroudsburg University rate, as a way to limit the district's cost.

--For a second master's degree or a doctorate, reimbursement would be limited to $2,000 a year per employee.

RETIREMENT INCENTIVES

--The fact-finder commented: "It is no secret that PSERS (Public School Employees' Retirement System costs) probably hangs like a dark cloud over every school district."

--The school board said of retirement incentives: "This singular issue has most widely separated the two sides in the 16 months of negotiations."

--Currently, teachers with 20-plus years of service get 45 percent of their last annual salary.

--The fact-finder recommended a cash bonus of $1,750 for each year of service. Also, retirement bonuses would disappear on June 30, 2016—the end of the four-year contract.

HEALTH CARE

--Cost to teachers would rise over the life of the contract. For instance, a deductible for some teachers would go from $250 in the first year to $500 in the fourth year. Premium payments would go from a low of $45 a month in the first year to $60 a month in the fourth year.