Mt. Lebanon school board selects negotiator for teachers’ contract
The Mt. Lebanon school board approved a negotiator for upcoming talks with the district’s teachers’ union at its Sept. 15 meeting.
The board voted unanimously to contract with Maiello, Brungo & Maiello, LLP, for chief negotiator services.
School board president Elaine Cappucci explained that the current collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union ends June 30, 2015, and that the district is obligated to have an initial negotiating meeting in January 2015. She said the firm’s senior managing partner, Alfred Maiello, served as chief negotiator for the last contract, and that the board was pleased with his performance.
“We value the work of all our teachers and hope this process will be smooth for everyone,” Cappucci concluded.
The board also passed a resolution supporting PA House Bill 2124, which would reform the state’s PlanCon process governing reimbursement for school construction projects. Proposed changes include shortening the process from 11 different steps to five, and allowing districts to make submissions electronically rather than on microfilm.
Mt. Lebanon has completed the PlanCon process for its high school renovation project but is still awaiting reimbursement from the state.
School board member Mary Birks made it clear that should it pass, the bill will not speed reimbursements to districts already in the queue. It will, however, simplify the process and reduce its cost to districts that apply for reimbursement in the future.