Allegheny Valley teachers start first strike since 1994
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Teachers picket in front of the construction site for the addition to Springdale Junior-Senior High School along Colfax Street. Ninety-four teachers in the Allegheny Valley School District went on strike Thursday morning. They have been working without a contract.
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Teachers milled in picket lines, children played in the rain and parents scurried to find day care Thursday as the Allegheny Valley Education Association started a strike that could last into October.
The teachers strike is the first since 1994 in the Allegheny Valley School District, which serves more than 1,000 students in Cheswick, Harmar, Springdale Borough and Springdale Township.
Until it ends, classes are canceled at all Allegheny Valley schools except the Forbes Road Career and Technology Center. Athletic events will continue as planned.
"I like it," said Kayla Thomas, 13, of Springdale Borough, while getting ready for basketball practice. "But then again, I'm mad because it cuts into our summertime."
The contract governing the district's 94 teachers expired June 30, 2009, but negotiations between the union and school board dragged on for months, stalling this summer.
A union representative released few details about the dispute Thursday, but he said the two sides were still at odds about "meat and potato issues," including salaries and benefits.
"Every time we go into negotiations, they change the parameters," said Butch Santicola, who represents the local union on behalf of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. "The target moves."
School board President Scott Redman countered that the district could not afford the union's proposal.
"It's strictly economic issues," he said. "We really like our teachers, we think they're talented and very competent. But the board has been looking at the long-term financial stability of the district, and we don't think their demands will be consistent with that."
First Published September 17, 2010 12:00 am
