Easton Area School District Issues Letter of Discontent with Teachers Union

The Easton Area School District is fighting back against claims made in a by the teachers union president, calling the union's behavior "unprofessional and outrageous."

And the district blasted the union, the Easton Area Education Association, for scheduling a rally during a special school board meeting this Wednesday to vote on the 2011-2012 budget. The district is facing a $12.9 million budget deficit.

"After rejecting the district's no-layoff proposal and insisting on increases that would lead to massive layoffs, program cuts and the destruction of the district, the association had the chutzpah to schedule a rally to complain about the cuts that its outrageously expensive contract requires," the district said in a press release.

The district issued the release on April 7 in response to claims made in a video posted on April 6 by union president Kevin Deely.

Last month, the district announced that it would have to lay off 160 teachers in order to make up the $12.9 million deficit. In an effort to save the positions, the district proposed a two-year salary freeze.

“Instead of sitting down with the district leadership and discussing the financial issues confronting the district in a professional manner, the association leadership forced the discussion into public and has consistently insisted on making it a public spectacle,” the release said.

But in the video, Deely claims that the association has asked to sit down with district officials to present the union's proposal.

The association has proposed a one-year voluntary pay freeze, which is anticipated to save the district $7.4 million. The union has also proposed a 50 percent tuition reimbursement benefit reduction and an early-retirement incentive for teachers, according to Deely.  

The district's release states that 65 percent of the teachers who have been in the district for three consecutive years have seen a salary increase of at least $20,000, while 81 percent of the teachers have seen a $15,000 salary increase.

“Clearly, these increases have been well above the 4.96 percent that the union and two district administrators, who alone bargained the contract, agreed to tell the board and public they would be,” the release stated. “In light of this, no reasonable person can find the behavior of the teachers union anything but unprofessional and outrageous.”

Deely announced in the video that the association would hold a rally Wednesday outside of district offices during the special meeting. The rally has been set for 6pm while the meeting has been scheduled for 6:30pm at 1801 Bushkill Drive, Forks Township.