SUNBURY – Shikellamy teachers and the school board will be back at the bargaining table in a few weeks. The two sides haven’t met since September and the union recently authorized a strike.
According to Mark McDade of the Pennsylvania State Education Association the strike vote sent a message to the board that teachers are serious about negotiating, “I believe it’s important to underscore that the authorization of a strike does not necessarily mean that the teachers are going to strike. It’s to send a message that the current state of negotiations is not acceptable and that we need to move forward.”
McDade said the initial proposal from the district is unrealistic, but the union is going into negotiations with an open mind. He did not rule out the possibility of a strike as the process continues, “The content of the negotiations, what actually happens when we do meet, that’s going to be very telling, how we move forward. So while I would never rush to say the teachers won’t strike, I would never rush to say the teachers won’t strike either.”
The next bargaining session is expected to begin in the next few weeks. (Jennifer Wakeman)