Last week, Mars Area teachers informed the district they will be striking Feb. 19 if a new contract isn't reached by then.

But during Tuesday night's board meeting, officials from both sides of the room assured the public that negotiations continue.

Hours before the meeting, district officials released a document detailing certain aspects of Monday night's negotiation session.

The session lasted seven hours and ended after midnight, according to the district and Pennsylvania State Education Association Region Field Director Brooke Witt.

“It was a very long session, going back and forth,” said Thomas Breth of Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham, negotiations solicitor for the district.

Joe Graff, a middle school teacher and the president of the Mars Area Education Association (MAEA), was present during the board meeting. He recognized this school year has been particularly difficult for those involved in education at all levels.

“We are fortunate to work in a great community,” Graff said. “I am very proud of our educational staff.”

Nevertheless, Graff said teachers will continue working toward a contract that reflects the work they do. Graff also noted he hopes negotiations can continue in private.

There were some alterations to a proposal the district released last Thursday, according to the district's Tuesday afternoon statement.Though the district originally suggested a 4-year contract, the district indicated Tuesday that it's willing to consider the teachers' request for a five-year contract if the salary increases are reasonable, according to the board.The district's latest proposition includes keeping early retirement incentives, fringe benefits and leave days status quo.But Breth said the district and MAEA are “millions of dollars apart” when it comes to discussing wages.In terms of wages for a four-year contract, the district proposes for this school year a one-time supplemental bonus equal to what a teacher would receive had there been a salary-step movement.Depending on the step, this would range from $731 to $2,716. An additional $1,000 payment would be made to teachers on the last step.For 2021-22, the district is proposing a 3% increase for salary step movement, with $1,000 on the top step. For the remaining two school years, the proposal is a 3.75% increase for each 1.5 salary step.The document the district released Tuesday afternoon includes the MAEA's proposed wage increases for a five-year contract.For the first year, the education association's proposal suggests a first-semester freeze, with salary step movement permitted for the second semester. This would include $1,000 on scale and $3,000 on the last step.Second-year wages are proposed to be set at step increase with $1,100 on scale and $1,500 on the last step. Increases of 4.5%, 4.6% and 4.6% have been proposed for years three, four and five, respectively.The education association also asked the district to consider agreeing to at least one 30-minute prep period per day for teachers.If a prep period is lost during the day because of scheduling, the proposal asks for teachers to be compensated at a rate of $25 per occurrence.The board indicated Tuesday it's willing to accept the prep period recommendation for a four-year agreement “if the salary increases are reasonable.”

Parents virtually attended Tuesday's meeting to show their support for teachers, with several addressing negotiations during public comment.“I stand behind and support our teachers 100%,” said Lisa Kumpfmiller.Kumpfmiller added that she's disappointed in the manner in which negotiations were made public last week, when the district released its Thursday proposal.“It saddens me that the board decided to make negotiations public,” Kumpfmiller said.Jennifer Miller addressed the prep time component teachers are seeking, voicing her support for it.“Teachers need time to collaborate and communicate with their colleagues,” Miller said.Ruth O'Donnell urged the district to continue working with teachers on negotiations.“Let's get a deal done,” O'Donnell said.

Breth said one of the things mentioned Tuesday before the board meeting is that the district is seeking fact-finding services.In Pennsylvania, a third-party group can be appointed by the state labor relations board to participate in the bargaining process by analyzing negotiations and issuing a formal report.The board and teachers would vote on the recommendations that, if approved, would become the basis for a new collective bargaining agreement.Breth said the district will be requesting fact-finding services this week, and will consequently ask teachers to join in the request and withdraw their strike notice. The district will still be willing to participate in scheduled negotiation sessions, according to Breth.Both Breth and Graff said the parties continue working to resolve issues, with the common goal of not interrupting education for students. Board members said the process is mutually important.“It's not an 'us-versus-them,'” said Anthony DePretis, board member.“We definitely want to reach an agreement,” said Christine Valenta, board member.The next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday.