Union for some Freeport staff calls for new contract as classes continue
BUFFALO TWP — Dozens of Freeport Area School District teachers, counselors and nurses showed up in matching red shirts to a school board meeting Wednesday, Sept. 9, to call on the district to enter a “fair and equitable contract” with their union as negotiations stretch into the 2026-27 school year.
The Freeport Education Association, which represents 132 employees of the district, has been negotiating for a new contract since January. The previous contract expired June 30, leaving pay at the same level as 2025 when the new school year began on Aug. 20.
The association presented a petition signed by the vast majority of its members to the school board and administration during the board meeting Wednesday.
“We, the undersigned education professionals at Freeport Area School District, urge the district to settle a fair contract that will attract and retain qualified staff and focuses on our health and wellness,” the petition read. “We stand behind our bargaining team who has negotiated in good faith. It’s time to do the right thing and prioritize the staff that makes it possible for the school district to provide the excellent education our students deserve.”
Rosie Kobelenske, president of the association, said the goal of the petition is to encourage both union and district negotiators to push through bargaining and come to a new contract soon.
“We’re just hoping to get things moving along and we can move past this and focus on our real job of teaching our students,” she said.
Heather Check, president-elect of the association, said the union is hoping for a contract that encourages recruitment and retention of staff.
“We are looking for fair and equitable pay, considering the rising costs of healthcare and just the general cost of living,” she said.
Check added that community support, especially among alumni, has been high. She said the union is grateful to have community support behind them.
During the meeting, the two union leaders addressed the board with their petition and asked for continued good faith negotiations. Kobelenske highlighted the amount of experience union members bring to the district’s staff.
“Those 132 members averaged 16 years of experience and loyalty to the school district. In total, those 132 members have 2,099 years of experience teaching, school nursing and counseling among us,” she said.
Check said the union’s members are completely behind the union’s bargaining team and are looking to reach an agreement soon.
“We have listened, we have made proposals, we have considered compromises and we have continued to show up because we believe in the process. We believe that our students, staff and community deserve a fair contract,” she said.
District solicitor Matthew Hoffman said the board will continue to work toward an agreement and bargain in good faith with the union.
“We are hoping for an agreement that is fair and equitable to all parties,” he said.
According to union leadership, the union and district have two bargaining sessions in September and two more in October.
