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| | Negotiations Update: Fact Finding Report and Next Steps Background The Tredyffrin/Easttown School District and the teachers' union, Tredyffrin/Easttown Education Association (TEEA), have been meeting since January 2012 to negotiate a successor to the contract that expired on June 30, 2012. The parties have met on numerous occasions during the ensuing months and exchanged proposals in an effort to reach a settlement. On June 18, 2012, the TEEA unilaterally requested Fact Finding. As such, a neutral third party known as a Fact Finder, who is assigned by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB), examined both parties' current contract proposals and made recommendations based on the proposals. Fact Finder's Report A Fact Finding hearing was held on July 11, 2012, and the Fact Finder issued a report to each party on July 30, 2012. The School District and the TEEA had ten calendar days to accept or not accept it. Acceptance by either party of the Fact Finders' report means that the party accepts the report in its entirety without any changes. At a special meeting on August 9, 2012, the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board voted not to accept the Fact Finder's report. While the School Board appreciates the Fact Finder's efforts to provide a balance between the School Board's proposal and the TEEA's proposal, the District's budget projection model demonstrates that the District cannot afford the long-term fiscal implications of the Fact Finder's recommendations. Although Fact Finding did not result in a contract settlement, the School Board is encouraged that many elements of the report provide a structural framework to move contract negotiations forward. Since the Board voted not to accept the report, the PLRB is required to make the contents of the report public. The School Board is not able, by law, to release the report or comment on the report prior to its release by the PLRB. Moving Forward The contract negotiations have benefited greatly from the Fact Finder's report and the School Board will work tirelessly to move the contract negotiations forward by building upon the report's many positive elements. Although the School Board did not accept the Fact Finder's proposal due to its lack of fiscal sustainability, the proposal provides clear opportunities for the parties to find common ground on major issues. To prepare for continuing negotiations, the School Board is working to formulate a three-year proposal that incorporates many of the Fact Finder's recommendations. Specifically, the School Board favors offering healthcare coverage for the TEEA members as well as their dependents. The School Board's negotiations representatives are eager to meet with the TEEA's negotiating team to resume bargaining a new contract, utilizing some of the framework provided by the Fact Finder. The School Board's goal continues to be the adoption of a teachers' contract that results in student success through the fiscal sustainability of a high quality educational program. The School Board is committed to working diligently in reaching a settlement that considers all the stakeholders; the community taxpayers, the District students and the dedicated faculty. The T/E School District will continue to keep the community updated on negotiations milestones so that the process and issues are understood by those paying for the contract. Information on the negotiations process will be posted on the T/E School District web site, www.tesd.net, and included in e-mail updates. |
| | Upcoming Meeting Dates
Meetings will be held at the T/E School District Administration Offices (TEAO): West Valley Business Center, 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1700, Wayne, unless otherwise noted. Meeting agendas are linked once they are available on the TESD web site. Special School Board Meeting, 8/20, 8:00 pm, TEAO (please note date change) Facilities Committee Meeting, 8/24, 2:00 pm, TEAO Regular School Board Meeting, 8/27, 7:30 pm, TEAO Finance Committee Meeting, 9/10, 7:00 pm, TEAO |
| | | | Information contained in this e-newsletter is intended for parents of students and community members of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District and is not intended to be copied or posted onto third-party web sites. The official web site address for the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is www.tesd.net. Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1700, Wayne, PA 19087 |
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