What one Upper Adams school board member characterized as a paperwork error led the board Tuesday to consider hitting pause on supplemental pay for nine teachers.
The board in August approved $1,200 stipends to be paid to nine teachers for performing additional work outside their regular contract hours, board Vice President Tom Wilson said at Tuesday’s meeting. The work includes updating science curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade.
In the past, substitutes covered teachers’ classes while they did curriculum work during their contract hours, according to Wilson. He said this cost the district approximately $22,000.
As substitutes became scarce, the district proposed a pilot curriculum program in which teachers would be offered additional pay to complete the curriculum work outside of contract hours, Wilson said. The board budgeted about $16,000 for this pilot.
After the board approved the curriculum pilot and teachers signed on to complete the work, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) leadership objected, according to Wilson.
Wilson said the objection came because the district failed to notify the teachers’ union in writing about the curriculum pilot.
At an Oct. 3 committee meeting, Superintendent Wesley Doll said contract matters such as compensation and conditions need to be collectively bargained with PSEA.
“It appears to me that this is a paperwork shortfall, not some nefarious plot to undermine the teachers’ contract,” Wilson said Tuesday.
After learning of the union’s objection, Doll said the district through its solicitor sent a memorandum of understanding to PSEA Friday in hopes of reaching a solution. As of Tuesday’s meeting, the district had not heard back.
Upper Adams Intermediate School Principal Sonia Buckley said the teachers want to do the work.
“They were really excited about the prospect of completing the task in this manner,” Buckley told the board.
If the district does not reach an understanding with the teachers’ union, the necessary curriculum work would still be completed, but during the typical work day under contracted hours.
“It’s a very inefficient and difficult way for us to do it during school hours,” Biglerville Elementary School Principal Jamie Kerstetter said.
Initially, Wilson on Tuesday proposed rescinding the supplemental contracts while the matter is worked out with the union.
“I don’t see any other option for this board than to rescind the stipends until the association can figure out what it is that they’re upset about,” Wilson said, adding that the district is “more than happy” to pay the teachers what they were promised.
Board member Kay Hollabaugh questioned the signal that rescinding the contracts would send to teachers. She compared it to waving a carrot and then taking it away.
Board member Ron Ebbert said he did not want to “punish” teachers while the district waits for the union to respond. He suggested PSEA may need more time to get back to the district.
Board member Gerald Walmer, who attended the meeting virtually, said he felt the supplemental contracts should be honored for the time being.
Walmer made a motion to table the matter, which Hollabaugh seconded. The board voted 7-0 to table the action, including Wilson.
Susan Crouse and Chris Fee were absent.
In other business Tuesday:
– Doll said the locker and team room renovations at the secondary campus are on schedule.
– Board member Cindy Janczyk acknowledged the district has nearly $24,000 in student lunch debt.
– The board voted to expel a student. No details were provided.
– The board voted to move $2.1 million from the 2022-2023 unassigned fund, of which $1.1 million was moved to a newly established technology fund, and $1 million was moved to the capital reserve assigned fund. Doll said this was done to prepare for future technology purchases and capital projects.
The school board curriculum and extra-curricular committee will meet Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m., followed by the business and operations committee. The policy committee will meet Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. The next voting meeting will be Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
Mary Grace Kauffman, freelance reporter, worked six years as a full-time reporter for newspapers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She has covered topics including business, crime, education, government and features. Mary Grace has a bachelor's degree in communication/journalism from Shippensburg University. She resides in Adams County.