There are only three weeks until teachers and students return to the classroom and the Dallastown Area School District is still negotiating a contract with their staff.
Bargaining for the 2022-2023 school year contract began back in January, but this has been an ongoing battle for the past two and a half years.
In December 2020, the teachers voted to authorize a strike after working without a contract since June of that year.
The district and the teacher’s union avoided the strike and reached an agreement in March 2021, for a contract that expired June 30th this year.
Today, teachers and community members wearing blue shirts rallied outside of the Dallastown Area High School as they continue contract negotiations.
This comes after the school board voted to accept a contract proposal introduced by a mediator, while the Dallastown Area Education Association voted not accept it.
Teachers say they deserve a contract that is respectful to their financial and health sacrifices made during the covid-19 pandemic that included a pay freeze for the 2020-2021 school year and a 1.25 percent increase for 2021-2022.
Now, parents are stepping up to fight for their children’s teachers.
“It’s time to have a contract. It’s been long enough,” said Pastor Chris Rodkey, a parent of four in the district. “We appreciate the teachers; they’ve stepped up. It’s time for the district to step up and meet the fair demands the teachers are making.”
Meanwhile, the Dallastown School Board President, Anthony Pantano released a statement saying:
The Dallastown Area School Board understands the value of education and the important role our educators play. Our teachers are the highest paid of any school district in York County, Central Pennsylvania, and beyond, and we expect that would continue with a new contract. The Association had requested a neutral state-appointed mediator to evaluate the proposals. The school board voted unanimously to settle the contract by accepting the proposal, the Association then voted to reject it. The proposal was a fair middle ground for the teachers, school district, and our community. We feel we have offered and will continue to offer, a very fair proposal that rivals the salary and benefits packages of many of our community. We will continue to negotiate in good faith, with transparency, and are hopeful for a swift resolution.
But many educators are saying they are not just fighting for a salary increase.
“The salary is a big part of that, but it’s also the rest of the working conditions, all the things that get piled onto an educator throughout the day,” said Jimbo Lamb, the President of the PSEA Southern Region.
As contract negotiations continue, the Dallastown Area Education Association hopes having the community rallying behind them will urge the school board to reach a fair agreement before the school year starts.