Central Bucks Equal Pay Lawsuits End in Hung Jury: A Look at the Details

DOYLESTOWN, PA—Two lawsuits that claimed the Central Bucks School District pays its female teachers less than their male colleagues ended in a mistrial Tuesday afternoon.

The lawsuits ended with a hung jury in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia late Tuesday afternoon. The teachers were seeking more than $100 million for what they said were discriminatory payment practices by the school district.

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Here are the details:

The lawsuits. Two cases were heard in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, which began last week and wrapped up on Tuesday. One of them was a collective-action lawsuit representing more than 300 current and former female teachers. The other was filed by an English teacher with the district. Both cases were heard in the same courtroom.

The details. Both cases centered around how the district uses years of experience to pay teachers. The district uses a salary chart based on “steps” to rank teachers’ experience. The lawsuits claimed that male teachers were regularly assigned to higher steps than their female colleagues, even when the female teachers had more experience.

A report in the Bucks County Courier Times said the lawyer for the teachers pointed to one male teacher with only four years of experience who was put on the 13th step of the school district’s salary chart. A female teacher involved with the case who had more teaching experience, by comparison, was assigned to the first step.

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In court, the school district’s attorney noted that the male teacher also served as an administrator and was paid more for those duties. The school district’s attorney said the discrepancy was an example of how the teachers were “cherry-picking” data to present a skewed view of how the district pays teachers.

The outcome. The judge in the case declared a mistrial when the jury came back deadlocked. A juror told one of the teachers that the jury was split 6-2 in the women’s favor, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The school district’s position. The Central Bucks district has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Shortly after a mistrial was declared, it released a statement that included the following: “The district asserted and continues to assert that no employees are compensated or treated differently based on sex or any other factor related to their identity. ”

Financial impact. The women in the collective-action lawsuit had sought $102 million in back pay and damages, along with attorneys’ fees and an order that the district pay the female teachers higher rates going forward. A settlement of that size would have made a significant impact on the school district’s budget, which comes to about $400 million a year. The school district’s insurance company is responsible for paying legal fees, but not any settlement amount or penalties imposed by the court. Any settlement would likely be paid for by a tax increase.

Looking ahead. In its statement released on Tuesday, the district warned residents that the case may be back in court.

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