Tensions Rise, Tempers Flare at T/E Board Mtg

The T/E School District and its teachers union have been trying to hammer out a labor contract since February. Monday night apparent frustrations from the negotiations spilled out in public for a minute at a public meeting as the board deliberated a vote on whether to accept a

The contract talks began in earnest back in February and officially reached an impasse in mid-June when the Tredyffrin Easttown Education Association (TEAA) union asked for a state fact finder to come in and offer a settlement plan based on information provided by both sides.

The report is an all-or nothing proposition, meaning that each side must say "yes or no" to the fact finder's report as a whole without making any changes. If both sides had agreed to accept the report it would have in essence become the new contract.

The union approved it. with Board Member Anne Crowley abstaining in a vote she called a protest in reaction to the tension that seems to have developed between the union and the board's negotiator.

That tension was on full display briefly Monday night when TEAA President Laura Whittaker attempted to refute statements by the board's negotiator.  Whittaker and the union have publicly complained for months that no elected board member has ever attended a negotiating session.

The school board's Attorney/Negotiator Larry Sultanik informed Whittaker that she was not allowed to speak at the public meeting because she is not a resident or taxpayer in the T/E School District.

Sultanik went on to say the T/E Superintendent Dan Waters has attended negotiating sessions and that under Pennsylvania law he is technically an elected member of the board.

Whittaker objected, saying that while Waters might be legally considered an elected board member, he has never been on any ballot.

The entire exchange lasted less than a minute. It may be the clearest window yet into the tone of the negotiations.

The TEAA and the School Board must now go back to the bargaining table.

Fall classes are scheduled to start Tuesday, Sept 4.  District Business Manager and Board Secretary Art McDonnell told the public during Monday's meeting that the board is working on a Monday 12 noon (August 27) deadline for reaching an agreement. 

That deadline announcement was news to Whittaker who spoke to TE Patch at the conclusion of Monday's public board meeting.

Whittaker would not comment on the possibility of a strike before the beginning of school.  A statement released by the TEAA over the weekend had hinted at the possibility of a work stoppage. Whittaker refused comment on the possibility Monday night, calling the board's vote "disappointing" and saying that the union's next move would be discussed with the membership.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that classes resume on Wednesday, August 29. Teachers return to work that day but classes begin for students in grades 1-12 on September 4. Kindergarten classes begin on September 10. Patch regrets the error.