Teachers approve amended contract
Agreement is different than the one sent by the school boardBy Heather Goodwin Henline, Sentinel managing editor, hhenline@lewistownsentinel.com
MIFFLINTOWN - There's a finish line rather than a picket line in sight for contract negotiations between the Juniata County School District and Juniata County Education Association.
The two parties are one step closer to a final contract agreement, after a favorable vote by teachers Wednesday afternoon.
"As far as we are concerned, this contract is concluded," said Wayne Chrismer, president of the teachers' union. "Our teachers now plan to start school in the fall at the normal time."
The teachers' union, which previously has gone on strike four times, was working to prevent a delay in the start of the school year, Chrismer said.
He said his organization met at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the McAlisterville Community Building to vote on an amended contract. The proposal passed muster with the school board by a 5-3 vote on June 26, after an amendment by board Member Richard Burchfield, who was among the dissenters.
Of the 226 total teachers in Juniata County, of which 193 are union members, Chrismer said 120 attended Wednesday's meeting. They cast their ballots for a contract that was amended a second time after leaving the school board's hands, he said. That second amended version passed by a vote of 116 to 4.
At the center of both amendments was Article 9, Section A, of the contract, Chrismer said. The first amendment was proposed by Burchfield on June 26, in response to a paragraph in the contract that would have allowed teachers to receive salary increases based upon their achievement of continuing education credits and participation in professional development activities. That section of the contract was removed, and the amended agreement passed, with school board Members Burchfield, John Noss and Ralph Bashore voting no. Board Member Mark Wagner was absent.
Chrismer said the contract could not move forward to a vote by teachers because the section removed by the initial amendment rendered the agreement without language necessary for approval. As a result, Chrismer said he - along with Glenn Grimm, his chief negotiator, and Marc Kornfeld, PSEA Uni-Serv representative - met with Kenneth Albaugh, school district superintendent, on Monday in Albaugh's office.
"We then worked out a framework of language that was agreeable to him (Albaugh) to have that section work," Chrismer said.
This new language became the second amended version of the contract, the one on which the teachers' union voted Wednesday, Chrismer said.
"It (the second amended paragraph) refers to how a person moves across the salary schedule, from salary schedule to salary schedule," Chrismer explained.
"We still are going to have university credit, college credit, intermediate unit credit and PD of E (Pennsylvania Department of Education) credit," he continued. "Our position now is that the superintendent would have prior approval, would be the arbiter, the person teachers would have to go through to have those credits approved."
Therefore, Albaugh would have "preapproval rights" regarding what credits would count toward advancing an educator from one salary schedule to the next, according to the second amended version of the contract.
"The superintendent is a fair and honorable man, and I'm OK, I'm satisfied giving him that authority," Chrismer said.
The question remains as to whether the board will agree. When contacted by The Sentinel Wednesday evening, Albaugh said the board will meet at 6:30 p.m. July 10 in executive session and at 7 p.m. for a public vote on the doubly amended contract. That meeting will be held at Fermanagh Elementary School, South Seventh Street, Mifflintown.
"There is a possibility the board may not accept it. I think that if the amended amendment is met with favor by some of the board members, it has a good chance of passing," Albaugh said. "It all depends on how they view it."
Albaugh said he is hopeful there will be a finalized contract on July 10.
"I'm pleased. I want to get school started on time. We have made a lot of progress. I'm encouraged."
Chrismer said he would like to see a fair contract in place.
"This vote was almost unanimous," Chrismer he said of the union's support. "We have gone as far as we could in these negotiations, and nothing further could be gained. ... Neither side is truly happy with the result, but that is when you know you have a good contract. It is what compromise is all about."
The end result is a three-year contract that includes yearly salary increases of 3.99 percent and per-pay health care premium sharing of $13.50 for single, dual and family plans during the first year; $20 for single, $23 for dual and $25 for family plans during the second year; and $22 for single, $25 for dual and $27 for family for the third year. The contract, which retroactively covers the 2007-2008 school year, will expire June 30, 2010, if it receives final approval by the school board.
"I would like to thank, as president of the association, the school board members who supported the conclusion of this contract, and I also would like to thank the administration who were helpful in the conclusion of this contract," Chrismer said.
The lengthy negotiations have been heated, at times, with the public weighing in as the unofficial third party. As a result, the community has been impacted by the process. Chrismer addressed how he hopes all sides, including the public, could move forward.
"As we have shown, after having four strikes in the past, time heals all wounds, and it will do so this time as well," Chrismer said. "Our teachers are in good spirits and are ready to educate the students of Juniata County in the fall. I think that all parties are relieved that's its over."
However, the public, as will the teachers, will have to wait until July 10, when the board will have its final say on the matter, for the ink to dry on this latest version of the contract.
"We'll see what the board thinks," Albaugh said.
