HERMITAGE Arbiters work on teachers contract

Any settlement proposed by the panel won't be binding on either party.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- A three-member arbitration panel was to resume its efforts today to help the Hermitage School Board and its teachers reach agreement on a contract.
The panel, which will offer a nonbinding proposal to settle the agreement, had its first hearing May 9, meeting for more than seven hours with teacher and school board representatives to hear their best offers.
The school board held fast to its proposal for a three-year contract that would give annual wage increases of about $1,600 for each of the 165 teachers. The teachers, however, lowered their demand from a $2,700 annual increase to about $2,200.
The panel planned to meet with teacher negotiators again at 3 p.m. and with the school board bargaining team at 7 p.m.
Superintendent Karen Ionta said the hearing could continue into Thursday, if necessary.
The panel will then come up with a settlement proposal to offer to both sides although just how soon that proposal will be presented is uncertain.
Time factor
The teachers went on strike for seven days in March but were ordered to return to work by the state so Hermitage could complete 180 days of classroom instruction by June 15.
Should either side reject the arbitration panel's proposal, the teachers could strike again although it would be unlikely that a second strike would occur before the last day of school June 14.
Teachers could strike again with the start of school in the fall if the contract isn't settled by then. They have been working without an agreement since their old pact expired June 30, 2001.
Dr. William Caldwell of the American Arbitration Association is arbitration panel chairman. Atty. Roger Shaffer Jr. of Hermitage represents the school board, and George Hughes, a Pennsylvania State Education Association field manager, represents the teachers.