The Mars Area School Board is returning to the bargaining table after rejecting the results of a fact-finding report for the second time.
Custodial, Paraprofessional, and Secretarial employees at Mars have been without a contract for over a year. As part of negotiations, the district solicited bids in July for outside vendors to provide those services and it was determined that the district could save almost $2 million if a change was made.
According to district Solicitor Tom Breth, parts of the report could be the basis for a contact agreement. The board is willing to allow for an increase in wages if the union is willing to compromise on benefits.
A crowd of nearly one hundred people, many of whom could not fit in the meeting room, attended the Tuesday night meeting to show their support for the current staff. Twenty people spoke in opposition to the idea of contracting with an outside company to provide those services.
Among the speakers were parents, taxpayers, former teachers and current district employees. Some highlighted their belief that the district is spending money on the wrong things while others asked for taxes to be raised in order to achieve a fair contract. A stack of petitions was delivered to the board of people in favor of retaining the current support staff.
A copy of the fact-finding letter can be found on the Employer Labor Relations Board website. Mars currently employs around 95 total support staff employees.
Written By: Ryan Saeler
