DANVILLE – In the Danville Area School District, teacher contract talks broke down Monday, but will resume Thursday night…But that didn’t stop frustrated parents and taxpayers from voicing their displeasure with a looming teacher strike next Monday.
Jennifer McWilliams of Danville was one several members of the public who spoke via Zoom at Wednesday evening’s school board meeting saying now is not the time, “I’m a disable veteran…I’m on social security right now. I think they (the teachers) can have a raise when our children start getting better education. Our children are out here getting C’s and D’s because of this bridge program.”
The school board and the Danville Area Education Association continue to be at odds over healthcare deductibles, and contract length. DEA President Dave Fortunato says the union last proposed a $100 per person/$300 per family deductible for the district’s two health plans from Geisinger and the Capital Blue Cross. The district last proposed $250 per person/$750 per family as part of a three-year contract.
But Danville teacher Greg Angstaat-Williams says the district’s proposal isn’t good enough, “If we take this healthcare, I loose hundreds of dollars a month because of the specialists I see. So if we truly care about our teachers and our students and the emotional and social health of the teachers, this isn’t something we can accept.”
Then one taxpayer didn’t want to hear it, “The aggravation point of hearing that we’re not caring for the teachers…its not just that…the fact that there’s a lot of taxpayers in this district that are unemployed, that are struggling to pay for their health insurance. It just went up $160-$300 for us, and we don’t have the amount of benefits you were just offered.”
Fortunato says over about the last 20 years, Danville teachers haven’t had to pay a deductible, but have paid a higher premium share than other districts. Fortunato also expressed frustration with the board, saying offering to meet Thursday night during a public meeting was ‘rude.’ If a strike starts Monday, it could last up to 15 days. However, the board did unanimously approve to continue athletics and extracurricular activities in the event of a strike. Both sides meet Thursday at 6 p.m.
