Negotiations Continue as Teachers’ Union Faces Another Month Sans Contract

Teachers in the State College Area School District have been working without a contract since June 2011, but there has been no threat of a strike – now, or in the near future.

Holli Jo Warner is president of the teacher’s union and a sixth grade teacher at Park Forest Middle School. She said that while the situation is difficult, both the teacher’s union and the members of the board involved in negotiating a new contract are trying to overcome hurdles that stand in the way of a new deal.

While teachers struggle to deal with repeating the 2010-11 salary year, the school district administration is trying to cope with budget cuts handed down by Governor Corbett’s administration in an effort to balance the budget without forcing a tax increase, Warner said.

The past nine months have been far from stress-free, though. After last year’s furloughs, the question, ‘Is my job safe?’ lingers, Warner said.

‘It causes anxiety because people can’t meet their household budget,’ Warner said. ‘They don’t know what to expect – they can’t apply for a loan when they don’t know what their salary will be.’

Warner said that she realizes the demands on the administration of trying to balance a budget when it is unknown what allotment will go to employees increases stressors on the other side, too.

Negotiations are ongoing so neither the teacher’s union nor the administration can speak to the details of the talks, but Warner said that she sees no reason for the teachers to go on strike.

‘That happens when negotiations break down, when there’s no way to compromise,’ she said. ‘At this point, I have not seen that level of refusal or unwillingness to cooperate from the board.’

Meanwhile, the driving force behind every teacher is the promise to the students. Warner said she doesn’t think the students have noticed any change in their instructor’s efforts, and knows there is a concentrated effort to keep it that way.

‘We are continuing to work – we’re coaching, sponsoring trips, still serving our children. The kids will have the same experience they always have, because we’ll do the things we’ve always done.’

Related coverage:

• State College Board to Review Health Insurance Proposals

• StateCollege.com’s news page