Methacton School Board To Meet As Strike Enters Second Day

EAGLEVILLE, PA — Large crowds are anticipated at the Methacton Board of School Directors public meeting on Tuesday night, as the teachers strike enters its second day.

The board is expected to address the ongoing strike during the meeting Tuesday. Teachers, represented by the Methacton Education Association, have been negotiating with the district for better wages and healthcare benefits since January.

A war of words between the sides escalated Monday into Tuesday, as the school district accused the teachers of setting a bad example for students. The district alleged that the union went on strike before a third-party "fact-finding" emissary could help find a mutually beneficial solution.

"The Union is obviously afraid of what a neutral third party would find with respect to their health benefit programs and premium share," the district said in a missive on their website, published Monday night. "Instead, they are now placing our children and the community in the middle by going on strike to avoid this independent review. This is not the kind of example that the teachers of the district should use in front of our students seeking to resolve differences."

The district said that taxpayers "will not support" a raise for teachers. The Education Association has maintained that teachers deserve higher salaries based on success of the school district and the comparative salaries which teachers in neighboring school districts receive.

"As educators, we seek to instill in our students a sense of self-worth and self-advocacy with the hope that they graduate from Methacton both confident and prepared," the Education Association said in a statement. "We believe that standing firm in seeking a fair contract that reflects the excellent work our members do is an example of us living our values in front of our students."

The school district and the teachers had reportedly agreed on an average increase in salary of $10,800, or 17.12 percent. However, the district said that the deal fell apart because the union did not agree on medical premium payments. The proposed plan would have provided 13 percent premiums for 2017/18, and 17 percent for 2018 through 2020.

The school district had already been scheduled to be closed this Thursday and Friday for a holiday and in-service, so the strike can only impact Wednesday, at this point.

Image via Google Mpas