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Wednesday, April 03, 1996     Page:

YATESVILLE — Teacher contract negotiations are still in progress at
Pittston Area School District, Superintendent Dr. Frank Serino said after
Tuesday night’s School Board work session.
   
Three arbitrators are working to come to an agreement. One arbitrator is
neutral, another represents the teachers’ union, the Pittston Area Federation
of Teachers, and another represents the school district.
    “At this point, it’s in the arbitrators’ hands,” Serino said after the work
session. “There are some key issues on the table that have to be resolved.”
   
A key issue is teachers’ salaries. The district has proposed a five-year
contract that freezes salaries for the first three years. The fourth year
calls for a 1 percent increase and the fifth year calls for a 2 percent
increase. The teachers union wants a four-year contract with increases each
year.
   
The teachers’ contract expired June 30, 1995, but they are prohibited from
striking during the arbitration process.
   
At the work session, the board:
   
Discussed a letter received from Pittston Township Manager/Secretary Savino
Bonita requesting that the district help pay for additional fencing and
netting at a Pittston Township baseball facility.
   
The ninth-grade Pittston Area baseball team has been using the Bryden
Street Park stadium for the past few years, Serino said.
   
Pittston Township is asking the district to pay $1,300, half of the $2,600
cost. The additional fencing and netting is needed because neighbors have
complained of foul balls landing on their property.