BVAEA reacts to canceled talks

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

Teachers in the Belle Vernon Area School District have been working without a contract since June 30 and thought progress was being made in negotiations – until Monday.

“Since beginning negotiations with the district on Jan. 10 of 2019, we have met a total of 14 times and secured tentative agreements on most of the articles,” Daneen Watson, president of the Belle Vernon Area Education Association, told the board at Monday’s meeting. “Time spent on both sides working towards a successor agreement has been productive, but there is still work to be done.”

Watson added that she hopes the board will bring a fair offer to the table so a settlement could be reached.

“I can assure you that we are coming Wednesday night with that goal in mind,” she said. “Our hope is that this is your intent as well so we can finally arrive at a successor agreement that is in the best interest of all parties, and most importantly, our students.

“With that being said, I just found out that you have canceled Wednesday’s meeting. So where do we go from here? In light of this new information, it will be up to the association to determine what our next step is.”

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