SUNBURY – The Shikellamy School District is bracing for a strike Friday, all the while hoping the support workers union will return to the negotiations soon.
In an public statement, the district said they are temporarily reassigning employees in order to keep the district operational during the strike. They said there are 64 secretaries and aides represented by the Shikellamy Education Support Professional Association. Those aides help in classrooms, cafeterias, offices and serve as personal care aides for students. Shikellamy says administrators and other district educators will provide classroom coverage and each school will have coverage for its offices and cafeteria.
The district says two additional negotiation sessions are still scheduled and school board president Wendy Wiest says she’s very hopeful the union will quickly return to the negotiations table. She says the board is committed to finding a mutually beneficial resolution while maintaining the financial integrity of the district’s budget. She said no one in District administration can recall when there’s last been a non-teacher strike in the Shikellamy School District.
Aides or secretaries who choose not to strike may come to work and the district will honor the current working conditions of the labor contract for those employees. All other district staff, including teachers, administrators, food service employees, maintenance and custodial staff, and bus drivers will continue working.
The District has been negotiating with the union since January 2020. SESPA’s contract expired June 30, 2020. Outsourcing of employees has been a significant issue throughout negotiations.
