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Vol. 76 No. 40 October 6, 19765
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Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin
MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA.
Board will present contract offer Thursday
By next Monday, the
suspense will probably be
over.
Either Donegal School
District teachers will be out
on strike, or the chances of
a settlement between the
DEA and the school board
will have increased sub-
stantially.
At a meeting scheduled
for this Thursday, the
board will present a two-
year contract offer to the
DEA (teachers’ union).
The school board thinks
its offer is ‘‘reasonable.” If
the teachers agree, talks
will continue.
If teachers think the offer
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Ralph M. Gy ded
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JOy
is ‘‘unreasonable,’’ they
will go on strike, either on
Friday or on Monday.
The teachers have al-
ready rejected the board’s
final one-year contract
offer.
Starting last Monday, the
union began a publicity
ES
FIFTEEN CENTS
campaign to win com-
munity support for their
demands. ‘‘Koffee Klat-
ches’ in private homes
have been arranged.
Teachers are also
knocking on doors in May-
town, Marietta and Mount
Joy to discuss their point of
view with local people.
School board says it plans ‘reasonable’ offer
The Donegal School
Board has issued the fol-
lowing statement.
“There has been a nego-
tiating committee session
of the board to evaluate the
DEA’s latest proposal.
There will be a meeting
this week between the DEA
and the School Board
negotiating committee, at
which time we will respond
to their proposal in what
we feel is a reasonable
manner. We hope they will
agree.”’
Donegal teacher’s union says Board is responsible for current crisis
The Donegal Education
Association [teachers’
union] has issued the
following statement:
“DONEGAL SCHOOLS
ARE IN TROUBLE, bad
trouble. Donegal teachers
have laid the problem out
on the table, but after
nearly nine months, settle-
ment has not been reached.
WE ARE NOW AT THE
POINT OF CRISIS:
HERE’S WHY!
“Donegal teachers earn
one of the lowest salaries
in the country. Donegal
administrators have earned
some of the highest salar-
ies in the county since the
late 1960’s.
“Donegal teachers have
a salary schedule, which
makes for fairness and
provides credit for exper-
ience. The school board
wanted to wipe it out.
‘““We think that teachers
should not be suddenly
transferred from one build-
ing to another without
reason. We want teachers
to sit down to a conference
with the principal to dis-
cuss transfers. The board
wants the right to transfer
arbitrarily, without notice
or explanation.
““The school board claims
that decreased enrollment
has necessitated a reduc-
tion in the teaching staff.
The facts: 40 more students
are enrolled this year over
last year; the teaching staff
has been reduced by 5%
positions. This has resulted
in the largest classes our
elementary schools have
ever experienced.
“The school board has
hired an outsider to advise
it. Jay Musser gets $2,250
of tax money for his advice
on negotiations. It is re-
‘ported that the same nego-
tiator that has pushed
Harrisburg into its current
strike, Tom Lane, is work-
ing behind the scene in
Donegal and is slated to be
hired as the board’s nego-
tiator for this next contract.
‘““The administration is
causing two different
grades to be taught in the
same room. Teachers be-
lieve this is an education-
ally intolerable practice.
‘“‘Some board members
and administrators are cir-
cumventing the teacher’s
organization, making pri-
vate comments to individ-
ual teachers to try to
destroy the teachers’ de-
termination to push for a
high quality of education in
Donegal.
““Teachers don’t neces-
sarily want the highest
salaries in the area. We
would consider ourselves
successful if we -could be
brought up to the average
salary level in Lancaster
County. We rank in the
lower fourth in Lancaster
County teacher salaries.
No other school hires be-
ginning teachers as cheaply
as board does.
‘“We are appalled by the
following statement by the
board. ‘Even if you pay
double the premiums your-
selves, we won’t agree to
dental or vision care pro-
grams.’
“The school board is
trying to convince you that
it spends thousands of
dollars on fringe benefits
for teachers. What they
don’t say is that they are
counting Social Security,
state retirement, Work-
men’s Compensation...etc.,
which must be paid by all
employers as required by
law.
‘““The board believe in
and is working for financial
penalties for career teach-
ers. We think career teach-
ers should be rewarded,
not punished.
“We feel that it is very
unprofessional for adminis-
trators to criticize teachers
in the presence of students
and other teachers. We ask
that this be discontinued
and so state in our agree-
ment. The board has dis-
agreed.
‘‘After Nine Months Of
Negotiations we have still
achieved no progress be-
cause the board has in-
sisted on stripping our
contract of the small bene-
fits we now have— benefits
most Lancaster County
teacher enjoy.
(continue on page 10)
Landis says union statements inaccurate
School Board president
Dr. William Landis got a
copy of the union’s. new
statement Monday evening.
He issued an immediate
reply in time for our late
deadline.
Because Dr. Landis did
not have time to consult
other board members, his
reply represents his own
views rather than these of
the whole board.
Salaries- On the subject of
teachers’ salaries, Dr.
Landis says, ‘“Some of our
salaries are low and some
of them are high by county
standards. This is built into
the salary schedule that the
DEA helped to set in
previous negotiations.
““We have reduced ad-
ministration from 11 to 7
positions. Each administra-
tor does 2 jobs. They are
(continue on page 10)
If you’re over 60, you’re invited to a party
Miller socializing at the senior center.
Everyone over 60 is invited to the open house
celebration at the senior center at Schock Presbyterian
Home in Mount Joy. The center, which is run by the
Lancaster Co. Office of Aging, is celebrating the first
as
Photo shows, from left to right, Bob Schroll, Harvey Raffensberger and Caleb
anniversary of its existence. Free refreshments will be
served and free transportation to the center can be
arranged. See story on page 2.