An arbitrator has ruled that two vocational education teachers who were furloughed at the end of the 2007-08 school year should be reinstated as teachers of in-school suspension classes because their seniority and certification makes them eligible for the position.

The Penn Hills School District laid off several high school vocational education teachers when it eliminated the entire program in June 2008. At the time, the district told the teachers that their certification was not sufficient for assignment to in-school suspension classes, even if they qualified for the position by seniority.

The Penn Hills Education Association filed a grievance on behalf of the teachers. The two vocational education teachers with the greatest number of years service in the district -- auto tech teacher Mike Sikorski and culinary arts teacher Richard Tain -- will be assigned to the in-school suspension classes at the high school and middle school in the fall.

The arbitrator's ruling covers all of the vocational education teachers furloughed in 2008 whose seniority may make them eligible for an in-school suspension class position in the future, said Ryan Osorio, president of Penn Hills Education Association.

Another grievance filed by the teachers' union concerning last year's teacher furloughs is still undecided. The Penn Hills teachers' contract requires that the district notify teachers of the intention to furlough by April 1. The district did not meet that deadline when it notified teachers of furloughs in early June 2008.

"Many, if not all, of those teachers" were called back to teaching positions for the 2008-09 school year as jobs became available, said district spokeswoman Teresita Kolenchak.

The district met its April 1, 2009, deadline for notifying 11 teachers and professional staff that they may be furloughed for the 2009-10 school year due to declining enrollment. Both Mr. Osorio and Ms. Kolenchak said it was possible that most of these furloughed teachers will be recalled after retirements and other personnel changes are determined.