Nov 16, 2015 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

Nothing was settled Monday and no further talks have been scheduled in the increasingly contentious Peters Township School District teacher’s strike. And it is looking more than likely the teachers will remain out until Nov. 27.

“Nothing was decided,” said Paul Homer, staff representative for Peters Local 3431 of the American Federation of Teachers. The chief issues between the teachers and the districts are salaries and the cost of health care.

Monday’s session was ended by a state mediator.

The meeting began with a formal (tabled) offer from the union that included the removal for a stipend related to class size and raises of $2,300 for all teachers each year during the life of the contract.

The union removed its request for full health care coverage for retirees and proposed an increase to the district’s contribution to the annual retirement health care stipend. Also, union officials agreed to increase health care contributions $5 a month annually for individual coverage and $10 a month for family coverage over the life of the contract, with a $15 increase in the final year.

The district, which has requested another meeting date, has offered annual raises of $500 for teachers on steps 1 through 16, and $200 annual raises for teachers on step 17, the highest salary tier.

“Our financial realities weigh heavily on all of us,” said Superintendent Jeannine French in a statement. “Our goal is to get our students and teachers back in the classroom, but we cannot agree to a contract that is fiscally irresponsible to our community and the future of this district.”

The 285 teachers, who had been working without a contract since Aug. 31, walked off their jobs Oct. 28 and onto the picket line after voting unanimously the previous month to go on strike.

To date, school is still on track to end June 15 – if there is not a second strike. Graduation for high school seniors is still June 10.

By law, the district must get 180 days in by the June 15 deadline. If a second strike does occur, possibly in the spring, then the last day of school could be pushed back to June 30 to allow the district to get the state-mandated 180 days of instruction. The second strike may not occur until both sides have gone to nonbinding final best offer and fact finding, according to Act 88.

As the strike drags on, the community has started to rally around those impacted by the strike – district employees who do not get paid if school is not in session – by organizing Giant Eagle gift card purchases. In addition, many local Peters organizations and churches have opened their doors and organized activities for parents and children.