The South Butler County School District teachers are officially on strike.
The district notified parents via a phone call and email at 10 a.m. that school “will not be in session until further notice.”
Teachers started picketing about 11:15 a.m. on Thursday. Several teachers could be seen walking around the campus holding signs that read “We Teach, We Care, Be Fair” and “Fair Contract Now.”
The district announced earlier this week that they would cancel class on Thursday in preparation for a possible strike, so no students went to school today.
This marks the fifth teachers strike in South Butler in the past 40 years. It’s unclear at this point how long the strike will last. Union rep Brooke Witt said the Pennsylvania Department of Education was notified of the strike Thursday morning.
“We should hear from them within the next few days regarding when we will be back to work,” she said.
According to state law, teachers must return to school after they strike if students won’t be able to get 180 days of school in without the district extending the school calendar beyond June 15.
Both the district and the teachers’ union will now be mandated to participate in final-best-offer arbitration. If either side rejects the arbitration determination, teachers can strike again.
If a second strike threatens the school’s ability to complete 180 days of school by June 30, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education can intervene by asking a court to prohibit the strike.
“It’s very frustrating for the teachers,” Witt said Thursday afternoon. “The district’s solicitor says that we failed to compromise. We’ve compromised on every issue.”
Witt said this is not the first strike for some of these South Butler teachers. This is the fifth strike for some.
“That’s a lot,” she said.
The teachers have been working under terms of an expired contract for nearly four years.
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