LEWISBURG – Despite strikes and contract negotiation stalemates in other Valley school districts, one local district is ahead of the game. Lewisburg and its teachers union agreed to a three-year contract a year before the current contract expires.
Lewisburg Superintendent Dr. Mark DiRocco says it was all about collaborative bargaining, “We try to look at each others’ side, look at each others’ problem or issue that is out there and then we look at the facts and information and we try to come up with scenarios that would be positive or a winning situation for both sides.”
School board members voted 8-0 to approve the contract. Meanwhile educators in the Danville, Shikellamy, and Shamokin school districts have set strike dates for this fall.
Dr. DiRocco says there has always been a mutual understanding between the teachers association and the school board, “They are willing to sit down, listen to each other, collaborate, and try to problem solve together, and once you have that kind of trust build up and it takes time to build that trust, then you’ll find that solutions to problems come easier than if that trust isn’t there.”
The new deal features a three percent increase in salaries and changes to health-care benefits that actually save the district money. The new contract begins in July 2016 and expires in June 2019. (Matt Catrillo)