Parents pack Pine-Richland School Board meeting after teacher’s union authorizes strike

Pine-Richland School Board members found themselves face to face with dozens of teachers from the district during a regularly scheduled board meeting Monday night. The vote to authorize a teacher strike wasn’t on the agenda, but the topic dominated the meeting.

“At present, it remains planned that school will commence for students on Thursday, Aug. 22,” Phil Morrissette, Pine-Richland School Board President, said.

>> Pine-Richland teacher’s union authorizes strike days before school year starts

Just days before Pine-Richland School students are slated to go back to class for the 2024-25 school year, teachers and parents packed Richland Elementary’s auditorium to make their feelings known to the school board.

“Pay them what they’re worth. Let them do their jobs,” said a community member.

Monday morning, 337 members of the Pine-Richland Education Association voted unanimously to authorize a strike. It’s a required step in the process for teachers to exercise the right to strike if the district and the union can’t come to an agreement.

Another community member said, “This is about respect, this about recognition for the critical role teachers play in our community it’s about ensuring that our schools can attract and retain the best educators.”

The teachers’ contract expired in June. They’ve been discussing terms since December.

But haven’t been able to come to an agreement on things like pay, benefits and workload that directly impact student/teacher ratios and class sizes.

“Please don’t compromise by increasing class sizes or adding more to-do lists to our already stretched-thin staff,” said one Richland Township resident.

Not everyone sided with the teachers though. Some community members spoke out supporting the board.

“What contract points have been proposed by the union that have created this stalemate?” one community member questioned.

Another community member said, “I think we as a community should support not discourage our board members. Anytime contract negotiations take place, has anyone ever gotten everything they ask for?”

The board put out a statement saying in part that:

“The board remains committed to achieving a contract settlement that is fair to both our teachers and our community. The board has made multiple economic proposals during bargaining, each of which included salary increases.”

The district said it plans on sharing Frequently Asked Questions with the community about the negotiation process. The next bargaining session is set to happen on Sept. 9.

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