Contract Talks With Teachers Put On Hold Until School Opens, Baugh Says

Contract negotiations between the and its teachers – in full gear in recent weeks – have been paused.

“Progress has been made and we're going to continue to negotiate but we're taking a short break to get schools open and then we will return to the table,” Superintendent David Baugh said Wednesday.

Schools are scheduled to open Sept. 6.

That means – as Baugh predicted last week – the 450 members of the Bensalen Township Education Association will begin the school year without a contract to succeed the five-year deal that expired June 30. He has said that he is not overly concerned about that because “the BTEA is very professional and I think they continue to put the kids first.”

The superintendent has declined to discuss what issues might be toughest to resolve, and attempts to reach BTEA representatives over the last several months have been unsuccessful.

Baugh previously said the two sides first met in January and then resumed in May, with a fairly steady schedule thrown off a bit by a serious illness of a representative for the BTEA. The last couple weeks negotiators had been scheduled to meet twice a week, Baugh had said.

The last contract granted 3-percent annual pay hikes, according to district business manager Jack Myers. In addition, teachers paid 10 percent of their health plan premiums, up to a maximum of $2,200 per year. The prescription drug coverage plan required a $5 co-pay for generic medications and co-pays of $20 to $35 for brand name drugs.

Union members who opted out of the health plan received payments of $100 a month if they were entitled to single coverage or $300 a month if they had a family plan.