Penn Hills teachers vote to authorize strike

Members of the Penn Hills Education Association have voted in favor of a strike authorization.

According to a news release from the association, the vote Feb. 13 resulted in favor by a super majority after a year of bargaining with the district.

“This is certainly not the point we wanted to come to,” said PHEA President Mark Wolfe, a music teacher at Linton Middle School. “There is only so much we can take and only so long that we can cross our fingers and wait for reasonable proposals from the district. Our members spoke very clearly tonight to give the authorization to our executive team to call for a strike if conditions at the table don’t improve.”

According to Annie Briscoe, PSEA western region advocacy coordinator, the association represents 225 Penn Hills educators including teachers and counselors. Employees have been bargaining with the district since January 2024 and working without a contract since June.

According to a statement, school district leadership was made aware of the authorization to strike after receiving media requests for comment.

“Penn Hills School District Administration and the School Board hope to quickly reach an agreement. We know this situation can be concerning, especially since it comes in the middle of the school year. The District is committed to transparent communication to students, parents and staff throughout this process,” the statement said.

The association noted there has been some progress on issues during bargaining, but one recent challenge was a proposal to implement “drastic changes” to employee health care. District administration said they did not propose changes in coverage for teachers or their families, but identified a plan that “matches teachers’ current benefits while saving over $500,000 per year.” They did not detail how this money was being saved.

Briscoe 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. The negotiating team requested a copy of the proposed health plan from the district and did not receive one, she said.

“After having been at the table for so long, our bargaining team really took the district’s offer to change health care as a step sideways,” Briscoe said.

“To our teachers, this is a no-brainer. With the increasing demands on our workloads, our commitment has never wavered. We care about our students and this school district, and we know where the district is financially. We aren’t asking for anything outrageous; our asks are completely within the financial ability of the district,” Wolfe said in the statement. “At the same time, we can’t be walked all over or handed a proposal that’s going to hurt more people than it would help.”

The district’s statement referenced Wolfe’s quote, saying the PHEA’s initial financial proposal sought a 10% annual salary increase, while the district already has offered more than $3 million in raises over four years.

The district said its teachers’ salaries are top-ranked among other schools with 2,000 to 4,000 students and free or reduced lunch rate above 50%.

“Overall, teacher salaries rank seventh highest out of Allegheny’s 43 school districts, with an average salary of $90,527 for 191 workdays — significantly higher than per capita annual income of $34,849,” the district’s statement read.

Briscoe said the majority of educator’s salaries are for workers who have worked at the district for about 30 years. New hires are offered a starting salary in the low to mid-$40,000 range.

Administration said PHEA leadership rejected offers to increase instructional days despite the district operating at the state minimum of 180 days. The district also claimed one of the matters being negotiated was some teachers’ time with students.

“PHEA leadership has demanded that some teachers have only six periods with students per day, further limiting instructional time. Out of a 7.5-hour contracted workday, teachers already receive a preparation period and a paid lunch,” the statement read. The statement did not share which teachers were asking for reduced periods.

The district referenced Penn Hills rankings as reasons to deny this request:

Keystone Exam (grade 11) rankings:

▪ Algebra: 26th out of 39

▪ Biology: 35th out of 39

▪ Literature: 39th out of 40

PSSA (grades 3-8) rankings:

▪ English Language Arts: 38th out of 42

▪ Math: 38th out of 42

▪ Science: 36th out of 42

Briscoe said educators teaching for six periods has been district standard for at least 10 years and the system was not being negotiated.

“We are not proposing to change to six periods,” Briscoe said. “We already have that language. It’s been established for more than 10 years now. We are not asking for any fewer numbers of periods with students. We already have six periods. The only time without students is a 35-minute lunch break.”

During an eight-period day for students, teachers have contact for six of those periods, Briscoe said. Teachers also have a duty period where they are scheduled to watch over lunch periods, bus duty, detentions or other programs dealing with the general student body. The teachers also get a prep period to work on grades, prepare lesson plans or host tutoring sessions. Briscoe said teachers have reported losing a portion or all of their prep periods and having to cover for other classes because of the district’s substitute shortage.

“The whole notion of teachers trying to get less time with students is not accurate,” Briscoe said. “Some of our members were hurt to see that insinuation. There’s no attempt to minimize the time they have with students, and I don’t know why (the district) included that statement.”

The authorization does not mean members of the association are going to strike, but union leaders now have the ability to call for one when or if they deem it necessary.

The PHEA said the association and the district do not have another bargaining date confirmed at this time. The district, however, claimed there are negotiation sessions scheduled but did not specify when they would take place.