Petition: Easton School Board Broke the Law

A group called "Taxpayers Unite" is circulating a petition charging that the Easton Area School Board violated Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law when cutting jobs recently.

In the past few weeks, the board has eliminated 24 jobs with . That was on top of the cut in May.

"We respectfully request that staffing furloughs be brought before the public at open meetings for public discussion before decisions are made," the group wrote on the petition website.

"We also request that ALL budget items (big and small) be reviewed in detail line by line, cost cuts be made and any expense that is not absolutely necessary during these difficult economical times be eliminated before considering any further staffing cuts."

Board President Robert Fehnel told the Express-Times that all executive sessions held during meetings are conducted with the board's attorney present. If the board veers into an area that needs to be discussed publicly, the attorney will inform them.

Eleven people have signed the peitition in the last three days. One of them -- who didn't list a name -- claimed to be a teacher who lost his or her job this year.

"I'm saddened by the many cuts made to the school district due to careless spending," the commenter wrote. "The students are the ones who are going to suffer, and no one seems to be bothered by that at all. The EASD already has problems with overcrowding in classrooms, and this is only going to make it worse."

School board members have called on the district's teachers union to reopen their contract. The union has responded that it did so last year, giving back $28 million.