Pennsbury Board, Teachers Approve New Contract

After a lengthy meeting on a variety of important issues, the Pennsbury School Board approved a fact-finder’s report, which lead to a new contract being approved last night.

The five-year deal between the district and Pennsbury Education Association  (PEA) is retroactive and covers from 2010 until the end of the 2014-2015 school year. The deal does not include retroactive pay, but features small raises for the remainder of the contract and puts teachers on a new health care plan.

School board members Simon Campbell and Dr. Stephan Kosmorsky were the only two of the elected body vote against approving the fact-finder’s report.

Over the course of the contract, the district will save least $83,000. The amount may seem tiny against a nearly $175,000 million budget, but district officials say more savings could be realized.

Board President Allan Weisel noted that the new deal includes many historic firsts.

• The retirement incentive will generate at least $900,000 in reduced expenditures for the District, which will be needed to help offset the increasing pension rates;

• The overall result of the new agreement will be about $83,000 in savings to the District compared to continuing in status quo;

• No retroactive pay will be provided to PEA members for the last three years;

• The salary schedule will not have changed over a cumulative six year period no new dollars added to the schedule;

• Employees at the highest end of the salary scale will have their salaries frozen for the remainder of the new contract. In fact, these salaries will remain the same for a total of six years;

• There will be no column movement (increases for educational attainment) during the course of the contract;

• Changes in the health care planwill provide savings for the District and will involve increased cost sharing;

• Changes in the prescription plan will provide savings for the District and include decreased cost sharing.

(List provided by the Pennsbury School District)

Shortly after the fact-finder report was approved, PEA Vice President and spokesperson Lucy Walter told the board the union had voted to approve the fact-finder report on Tuesday. That vote of approval meant the two sides had settled on a new contract.

Walter said during public comment that the teachers did not get everything they wanted, but the PEA was pleased the impasse was settled.

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“These employees have been consistently diligent in their professional work during this lengthy and difficult process,” Weisel said.

The fact-finder report was prepared by Lawrence Coburn and presented to district and PEA officials last week.

Campbell caused controversy when he posted the report on his website 10 days before it was agreed to be made public.

This unelected unaccountable government bureaucrat has no authority to tell any elected official that he or she must not discuss the expenditure of public money with the public prior to casting a contract vote on May 9, 2013,” Campbell said in a statement released to the media last Tuesday.

While the Pennsbury impasse has been settled, the Neshaminy School District has gone without a contract for five years.

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Related:

• Falls GOP Releases Statement on Fact-Finder Report Release
• Board Member Posts Contract Report Ahead of Release Date
• Pennsbury Union Submits Modified Salary Demand