More than 300 teachers across the county are starting the 2016-17 school year without a current contract, working under the terms of the previous, now expired contracts. These include teachers in the Slippery Rock and South Butler school districts and teachers at the Butler County Vocational-Technical School.

And for the South Butler School District, a strike could be the next step.

South Butler

The more than 160 teachers in the district started classes today, working under an expired contract stretching back to June 2014, working under the status quo for wages and benefits for the third school year.

The stalemate between the South Butler County Education Association and the school board was mediated by a fact-finding report done by Marc A. Winters in October 2015. That report was approved by the board but rejected by the teacher’s union.

Winters’ report called for a five-year contract from 2016 to 2021 and suggested a health-care plan through Highmark, which saves the district money in the long-run but has increases in employee payment, despite the elimination of co-pays.

District solicitor Tom Breth said health care is a major issue between the two groups because health care costs continue to increase, which he called “not sustainable,” during a school board meeting in December 2015.

The fact-finder also recommended a wage increase of 1.2 percent retroactive to July 1, 2014, a 2.8 percent increase effective July 1 this year, and a 4 percent wage increase for each of the three years following.

The average salary increases would be $678 in 2014-15, retroactively; $1,670 in 2015-16 for the current year; $2,416 in 2016-17; $2,513 in 2017-18 and $2,613 in 2018-19.

The average teacher in South Butler makes $62,920, meaning a 1.2 percent increase is $750; 2.8 percent is $1,762 and 4 percent is $2,516.

Negotiations continued last Wednesday, according to Brooke Witt, the chief negotiator for the union, but there was only minimal progress made.

“The district and association have met four times in the last several weeks attempting to settle the contract, including a negotiating session (Wednesday),” she said. “Unfortunately, while some progress was made (last Wednesday), the parties were unable to reach an agreement. The teachers of South Butler are now starting the third school year without a contract.”

This means a strike could be on the horizon, Witt said.

Superintendent David Zupsic said he has heard rumors of a strike.

“Obviously, when you hear those rumors, it’s a concern,” he said. “But I’m kind of focused on the negotiations. I’m hopeful that if both sides continue to meet, they’re going to reach an agreement.”

Witt said the association took a strike authorization vote last Spring.

Zupsic said the association must give administration at least 48 hours of advance notice of a strike so that parents and students can be contacted.

The number of days teachers can strike also is limited to ensure quality student education.

“If it would come to a work stoppage, they could only be out a certain number of days so that the students would still gain 180 days of instruction up through June 15,” Zupsic said.

Butler Vo-Tech

At the vo-tech, 21 teachers and one counselor also are starting a third year without a current contract. The previous one expired June 30, 2014, according to Kurt Speicher, executive director.

During the April meeting of the vo-tech joint operating committee, made up of representatives from each of the seven participating school districts, members of the public asked the board to honor its teachers by passing a new contract as soon as possible.

Jeff Celender, the president of the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School Educational Association, previously said wages and the health insurance plans were points of contention but would not elaborate.

Speicher also said health care remains one of the issues leading to the lack of an agreement, but he said he could not say more.

The teachers’ union rejected an agreement offered by the committee in August 2015. The committee had approved that four-year agreement which had no raises to salary or health care for the first year.

Currently, the average salary for a vo-tech teacher is $47,800, according to Breth, who also is the solicitor for the vo-tech.

Speicher said both sides continue to meet, and he is hopeful an agreement will be reached soon. However, he could not predict when that might happen.

Speicher would not comment on whether a strike may be on the horizon, only saying: “Obviously, we’re just holding out hope that an agreement is reached, and we don’t get to that point.”

The teachers start the year today, continuing to work under the terms of the expired contract.

Terrie Holter, a negotiator with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said a neutral fact-finding report is being created.

“We entered into fact-finding in the middle of July with the state labor board, and we are waiting on the fact-finding report, which is basically an agreement that they come up with,” Holter said. “Each side (the association and the board) has the ability to vote one way or another, whether they’re in agreement with the report or not.

He said both sides have 10 days after receiving the report to vote on it.

Holter also said the association has not discussed the possibility of a strike.

Slippery Rock

The 153 teachers in the Slippery Rock School District started their school year last Wednesday without a contract, with the most recent one expiring July 1, 2016, according to Paul Cessar, business manager.

Cessar said meetings have been going on between the school board and the teachers since January.

“We continue to negotiate,” he said. “The board and the teachers continue to work cooperatively.”

While he could not predict when a new agreement may be finalized, he is “optimistic” the board will vote in the next few months, he said.

No further information on the state of the contract negotiations was available, Cessar said.

Joan Timko, president of the Slippery Rock School District Education Association, declined to comment other than to say that the association has ongoing negotiations with the administration.

Mars and Moniteau have contracts through 2017, and Karns City has a contract lasting through 2019. Butler approved a three-year contract in November 2015, good through 2018, and Seneca Valley approved a five-year contract in October 2015, effective from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021.