Note: The following press release was issued Saturday by Saucon Valley Education Association Chief Negotiator Rich Simononis in response to the latest announcement from Saucon Valley School Board attorney Jeffrey Sultanik, in which Sultanik stated that a contract settlement between the district and the SVEA does “not appear to be remotely achievable in the foreseeable future.” That statement followed a week in which the Saucon Valley School Board voted 5-4 against conditionally extending the deadline for acceptance of its Feb. 26 “bottom line” contract proposal, in spite of pleas from parents who presented the board with petitions asking it to do so. A day later, Saucon teachers symbolically voted the bottom line proposal down and approved a strike authorization by a 2-1 majority, according to Simononis.
Facts on the Saucon Valley Contract Negotiation
- SVEA has done everything they could do to avoid a work stoppage. It is well documented that these “talks” have been going on for four years. In the past six months, the school board has refused over and over again to actually sit down and meet with the team to discuss language and other issues.
- As of April 16, SVEA has been informed that no one from the school board will be at any negotiations sessions. The board is opting to send its lawyer and business manager to continue over three years of non-negotiation.
- Prior to the board refusing to extend the offer, SVEA was informed, “….any extension might be contingent of the EA Bargaining Committee’s willingness to recommend the settlement.” Another example of games that are being played behind the scenes that most people are unaware of.
- The latest offer the school board presented allows teachers to take graduate level classes at Muhlenberg College. How can the board include something like that, when Muhlenberg College does not offer graduate level programs?
- The school board posted links on the school district’s website comparing local school districts. But what most people do not know is that the teachers at Saucon Valley have not been credited with their years of service over the last couple of contracts; something that has not happened at most districts.
- For example, a teacher that has worked 13 years at Southern Lehigh would be paid on Step 13. A teacher that has been working at Saucon Valley for 13 years is being paid for eight years of service–not 13.
- Saucon Valley’s co-curricular activities were frozen for four years in the prior contract. The board is currently demanding another six-year freeze for all of these positions, making it a total freeze of 10 years.
- Comparing Saucon Valley and Southern Lehigh’s coaching staff pay, Saucon Valley is over $100,000 less then Southern Lehigh.
- Health Insurance – Saucon Valley is self-insured. Every year for the last five years the district’s health insurance has decreased.
- Fund balance – It is well-documented that the school district has not raised school taxes for years, and while doing so has created in excess of $15 million in the fund balance. There has been so much discussion about the fund balance that at the Nov. 11 (2014) school board meeting the school board approved $12.2 million to be allocated to different funds.
