New Kensington-Arnold teachers rally for new contract, threaten strike vote

First grade teacher Mick Dombroski feels like he’s living in the movie “Groundhog Day.”

Over and over again, he said, the New Kensington-Arnold School District can’t approve a new contract with its teachers union until after the previous deal has expired.

Most districts settle on new contracts before that happens, said Fritz Fekete, southwestern region advocacy coordinator with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. New Kensington-Arnold is among the less than 5% that don’t, he said.

“It’s a shame we can’t get a fair contract before the contract’s up,” Dombroski said, noting that talks begin months before contracts expire. “We should be able to work it out.”

Dombroski, who teaches at H.D. Berkey Elementary School, was among district teachers who attended a rally outside Valley High School on Tuesday evening ahead of a school board meeting, hoping to raise public awareness of their plight and encourage the board to settle.

Tuesday marked 181 days since the last contract between the district and the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association expired, on Aug. 31. Teachers have continued working.

“It’s tough because we want to provide the best education to our students,” said association President Ashley Pujol, a health and physical education teacher.

Gina Brestensky, a special education teacher at H.D. Berkey Elementary, was among the 60 to 70 of the union’s 151 members Pujol said they estimated attended the rally.

“I feel like they’re really not seeing our worth and what we do to keep this place running for our kids,” Brestensky said. “People are going above and beyond to keep everything flowing as smoothly as we can.”

Asked what parents should know, Brestensky said, “I hope they realize everything that we do is for their children. We don’t stop. All we’re asking for is to get out what we put in.”

Sticking point: Health benefits

How much teachers should pay for health care benefits is the primary remaining unresolved issue, on which Pujol said the union and district are significantly apart.

During the board meeting, School Director Terry Schrock, the district’s lead negotiator and spokesman, said the board wants to offer teachers a fair salary and competitive benefits while minimizing the impact on taxpayers.

Schrock said the board is asking for teachers to make health care contributions that are more in line with what those in other districts are paying.

At $65 per month for single coverage and $125 for a family, what New Kensington-Arnold teachers pay is the second lowest among Westmoreland County districts, he said.

Schrock said the district’s proposal would increase the contribution in the first year of a five-year contract to $125 for single coverage and $250 for family. Even with the increase, he said teachers in three other Westmoreland districts pay more.

District: Average raises — 3.78%

Schrock said the district has tentatively agreed to the association’s salary proposal, which includes yearly raises averaging 3.78%, and has shown its willingness to increase the property tax rate to pay for it.

The district’s proposed $40.9 million budget for the 2022-23 school year includes a 5% property tax increase, the highest possible under the district’s state-imposed inflation limit. The rate could change up until the budget is finalized in June.

Union challenges figures

Pujol said it was unprofessional for the board to negotiate in public, and accused the board of providing incorrect information. She said the association would consider holding its own forum to present its case.

Pujol said the district canceled their last meeting scheduled for Feb. 24. Another meeting is not expected until late March or early April.

Pujol called on the board to stop canceling bargaining sessions and return to the negotiating table.

“We’ve been willing to meet the district in the middle,” she said.

A strike authorization vote could come soon, Pujol said.

“We’re trying to not get to that point,” she said.