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DALLAS TWP. — Dallas Education Association members are “not happy” but “standing strong together,” the union president said Friday — the first day of a teachers strike.
Nearly 98 percent of the union’s members participated in a demonstration near the district’s campus, said Michael Cherinka, DEA president.
John Holland, of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said later Friday that he had no official notification from the state Department of Education on how long the strike could last. But he estimated it could run for roughly 15 school days, meaning teachers would return to class for the week of Oct. 16.
Holland was expecting to have official word on a return date for teachers by Monday.
As for Friday’s picket, about 160 union members congregated in a dirt lot off Conyngham Avenue, across from the district’s administration building, at 8:30 a.m.
They started picketing at 9:15 a.m. and walked along Conyngham Avenue to Hildebrandt Road, past Dallas Elementary School and back again carrying signs that read: “Please negotiate in good faith” and “Fair Contract Now.”
“We are here for us, the children and their families,” Cherinka said. “Children cannot learn in freezing or hot conditions.”
He said all district buildings, “even the castle on the hill,” have problems.
“The middle school is loaded with problems such as leaky windows and roof,” Cherinka said.
His claims were backed by Holland, who said the teachers endure environmental and safety issues, including mold.
At the July school board meeting, Alloy 5, the district’s architecture firm, presented a plan to replace the middle school’s roofs starting with a 10,854 square-foot area over the auditorium. That was slated for completion by the end of August, according to a July board update.
Last year, Dallas Elementary School’s leaky roof caused a mold issue in two classrooms, which were immediately sealed off and treated.
The 45-year-old building is plagued by a variety of deficiencies that include problems with the heating and cooling systems, a leaky roof and plumbing problems to name a few.
Replacing Dallas Elementary was the topic of a public hearing held Sept. 18.
Other union contract sticking points are salaries, pensions, health care and early retirement.
On Thursday night, both parties met in a final attempt to come up with a contract and avoid Friday’s strike, but those efforts failed.
Currently, no new negotiation sessions are scheduled, Holland said.
In November 2016, teachers went on a 22-day strike, which exceeded the return-to-class date of Dec. 13 set by the state.
Under state law, teachers can strike twice in one school year. The first strike must end in time for the district to complete the state-mandated 180 days of school by June 15, while a second strike must end in time to complete 180 days by June 30.