Teachers on strike in Reynolds district

TRANSFER, Pa. — Pupils in the Reynolds School District didn’t go to school Tuesday, didn’t go again today and aren’t sure when classes will resume.

The district was hit by a teachers’ strike as about 100 members of the Reynolds Education Association walked off the job Tuesday morning after contract negotiations failed to reach a new agreement.

The teachers’ old contract expired in June 2006 and they worked all of last year and for the first six weeks of this school year under an extension of their old agreement.

Pennsylvania puts strict limits on how long teachers can remain on strike.

School districts are required to provide instruction for 180 days during the school year and teachers can actually call two strikes during that time period.

State law mandates that the first strike must end in time for the district to complete its 180 days by June 15, which means Reynolds teachers could be on the picket line for about three weeks, based upon the Pennsylvania Department of Education determining what the district’s revised school calendar will be.

Scheduled days off, including holiday time, could be shortened by a strike.

A second strike could be called if issues remain unresolved, but that would be of even shorter duration as the law requires that the 180 days be covered by June 30 in the event of a second strike.

For more, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com