"I was glad that it was a frank discussion and we got some things out there on the table," Alan Malachowsi of the North Penn Teachers Association told Action News, "but really no progress was made toward resolving this impasse."
Locked at odds over a teacher pay package lasting five years, costing more than $40 million. The 2 sides say they are no closer to agreement. The teachers called the board unwilling to budge, the board called the teachers demands unaffordable and their tactics inflexible.
"We're talking about a $43.4 million dollar salary demand," said Vince Sherpinsky of the North Penn school board, "and they've come down less than one tenth of one percent. We don't characterize that as significant. They do."
Teachers Association President Allen Malachowski characterized the meeting as tense, even heated, at times saying the school board brought nothing new to the table and that if the strike drags on, the teachers will have to pay out of pocket.
"The first thing they stated was that if the strike runs it full duration that they would be docking our pay," Malachowsi said.
The board meanwhile called the talks blunt, at the same time saying they are done talking, turning the negotiation over to a state mediator.
The two sides are still millions of dollars apart. The possibility the strike will last as long as it is legally allowed seems more and more likely. That means it's looking more and more like classes will not resume until next Wednesday.
Union officials say about 12,700 students could be out of school for up to seven days and still get the state-mandated 180 classroom days by June 30.
Talks are set to resume Wednesday night. No time has yet been set.
Students are growing increasingly anxious about tests and preparing for them. They're planning a "Strike of the Strike" at the high school on Friday. Students will urge both sides to get back to the table so they can get back to class.
Classes were canceled Monday in the North Penn School District as teachers went on strike around 7 a.m. with sign-carrying picketers gathered on the sidewalk in front of the high school in Lansdale.
North Penn's teachers have been without a contract since September. A seven-hour bargaining session on Sunday ended without an agreement.
RELATED LINK: North Penn Education Association
RELATED LINK: North Penn School District
The current salary range for North Penn teachers goes from $42,870 up to $93,948. The proposal, drawn up by a non-binding arbitration panel, is a 5 year deal that would bump that to a $49,518 minimum and a maximum salary of $104,410. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
