Penn Hills teachers reach contract agreement, avoid strike

Penn Hills teachers were able to avoid a strike after a contract agreement was reached with district administration.

According to a news release from the Penn Hills Education Association, an unspecified majority of the membership voted to ratify their collective bargaining agreement with the district Wednesday night.

The school board also approved the four-year contract Wednesday night.

“The district is excited for the outcome,” Superintendent John Mozzocio said. “It was hardfought negotiations, and we feel it resulted in a fair and equitable contract. … Most importantly, the students will benefit from the new contract.”

It will be retoactive to last June and run through June 30, 2028.

Over four years, teachers will have an average 3.6% raise, Mozzocio said. He added starting salaries exceed $50,000 under the new contract.

“We are pleased with the outcome,” Mark Wolfe, president of PHEA and a middle school music teacher, said in a statement.

The association represents 225 Penn Hills educators, including teachers and counselors.

Annie Briscoe, PSEA western region advocacy coordinator, did not respond to multiple requests for contract details regarding the wage increases and health care costs.

Members previously voted to authorize a strike after bargaining with the district since January 2024 and working without a contract since June.

Briscoe previously said a large factor in voting to authorize a strike was because of a proposed change to the teachers’ health care plan. She said multiple educators are being treated for longstanding medical issues such as cancer and kidney failure. Changing health care plans could delay needed, lifesaving treatment.

Wolfe said members’ health care will be “maintained” with the new agreement. Mozzocio said health care remains the same, but teachers will have a small increase in the share they have to pay in the next three and a half years. This year, they’ll pay 11%, next year it will be 12% and so on until the end of the contract when they’ll be paying 13.5%.”

“At the end of the day, we were able to maintain our health care and secure wage increases that will help our members — many of whom have dedicated their careers to this district,” Wolfe said. “We are also hopeful that these improvements will attract and retain new teachers to the district at a time when there’s a severe teacher shortage across the state.”

In addition to increased wages and a health care agreement, association members received an early retirement incentive, Mozzocio said.

Teachers also agreed to more “flexibility with scheduling,” Mozzocio said. He said there will be more opportunities for teachers to provide remediation and extra tutuoring sessions throughout the school day.

Wolfe did not immediately respond to a request for further comment regarding contract details.

Erin Vecchio, president of the Penn Hills School Board, confirmed that the board approved the contract.

Vecchio said members of the administration, including Mozzocio, Business Manager John Zahorchak and Solicitor Dayne Dice, handled the district’s negotiations.

“Thank you, everyone, that worked to get this done. I appreciate everything the teachers do and just want to move forward,” Vecchio said. “We want to get the students the best education they can and get our test scores up.”