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3 districts at work on teacher contracts
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Oct 02, 2009 09:38 EST
By BRIAN WALLACE, Staff Writer

Negotiations are continuing in three Lancaster County school districts that have yet to approve new contracts for more than 650 teachers.

But when those labor agreements are likely to be approved is anyone's guess.

Officials in Donegal, Elizabethtown Area and Eastern Lancaster County school districts are tight-lipped about the status of talks.

Kelby Waltman, a negotiator with the Pennsylvania State Education Association who is assisting teachers in all three districts at the bargaining table, declined to comment.

District officials and teachers said they're still talking, but they wouldn't specify what issues are unresolved or speculate on when settlements might be reached.

Three other school districts — Columbia, Cocalico and Pequea Valley — recently approved new or extended contracts that boost teacher pay by 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent.

Elanco superintendent Bob Hollister said there have been "no breakthroughs and no failures" in teacher talks in his district.

"It's one of those things that could be settled in a day, or it could be settled in a month or two months," he said. "You just never know, I guess, when people are ready to go.

"The bottom line is we're still negotiating."

Elanco teachers union president Christi Henry said in an e-mail that "both sides are working hard toward reaching an agreement" and hope to do so "in the near future."

Elanco employs about 190 unionized teachers.

Donegal teachers and board members are scheduled to return to the bargaining table Oct. 13.

Negotiations have been positive, teachers union co-president Susan Heydt said.

"We are working to find a fair contract for teachers and the community at large," she said.

Donegal Superintendent Shelly Reidel said it's unlikely a new contract will be approved before the Nov. 3 general election, when residents will vote on a proposed $48 million high school construction project.

The referendum vote and contract negotiations are "two different topics," Reidel said.

Donegal employs 207 teachers.

Negotiations also are continuing in Elizabethtown, district spokesman Troy Portser said, although he did not know the date of the next session.

A teachers union member could not be reached for comment.

The district employs about 275 unionized teachers.

In all three districts, teachers are working under the terms of contracts that expired June 30.

bwallace@lnpnews.com


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