No new deal from latest New Kensington-Arnold teacher talks

Teachers in New Kensington-Arnold School District will continue working without a contract through at least April 11.

Negotiations between the district and the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association held Thursday did not produce an agreement, according to association spokesman Phil Cope, and the next bargaining session isn’t scheduled until April 11.

“This is day 540 that the teachers have been without a contract,” Cope said.

Superintendent John Pallone didn’t respond to a message seeking comment.

Officials from both the teachers’ union and the district said in February that they were working toward resolving the stalemate.

Teachers are working under the terms of a contract that expired Aug. 31, 2017. Negotiations for a new agreement started the January before it expired and have continued since with little progress.

In February, teachers packed a school board meeting to raise awareness about the toll working without a new contract has taken on them.

“This has been a difficult situation for our members, who are professional educators that continue to provide the high quality of service that the taxpayers in this community deserve,” Cope said then.

The district is trying to reach a deal that it can afford, Pallone said in February.

“The lion’s share of our budget is wages and benefits. We only have so many dollars in the pot,” Pallone previously said. “We continue to meet and we’re hopeful we can come to an agreement. We’re hopeful that everyone can put their reasonable glasses on and come up with a fair and equitable resolution.”