New School Year, New Teacher Contract

Photos by Evan Brandt

The Pottstown School Board meeting Monday was briefer than the one that preceded it -- or so I'm told.

I missed Thursday's meeting because I took the day off. Rare, I know.

However, the brevity of the meeting did not diminish the importance of what happened in those 50 minutes.

As is so often the case in Pottstown, the most important item of the meeting appeared nowhere on the agenda.

Having dispensed with eight pages of items -- which included eight resignations, five leaves of absence, three salary changes and 20 new hires, including a new human resources director for $115,000 a year -- with a single vote that elicited no comment from anyone on the board, they proceeded on to an item of business labeled only as "new."

Pottstown Federation of Teachers President Beth Yoder, left,
and Mike DiDonato, right, were part of the negotiating team
that will ensure younger teachers like Rine Strohecker, earn more.

As you have by now no doubt deduced, this "new" item was the ratification of a three-year teacher contract which completely re-constructed the entire salary schedule for the Pottstown Federation of Teachers.

You know, a small item on which the public would doubtful have any comment or thought to share.....

Also absent, were the throngs of fluorescent-green shirted teachers who have previously packed the seats in the high school cafeteria to make their presence -- and their grievances -- known. 

That was the first big clue that something had changed.

Anyhoo, as you have no doubt by now read on the front page of The Mercury, the details of the contract that were available last night are there.

Solicitor Stephen Kalis, whose re-appointment was also part of that discount eight page-for-the-price-of-one vote maneuver,  assured us the new contract will be posted on the district web site shortly for all to peruse.

 In the meantime, here are the Tweets from a brief but significant meeting.