PV community rallies in support of teachers, bids farewell to outgoing board members

About 200 people attended an informational picketing rally Thursday in solidarity with Pleasant Valley teachers, who have been working under a contract that expired over the summer.

According to information handed out by the Pleasant Valley Education Association at the rally, the district's compensation package fails to attract and retain teachers and professional staff.

The leaflet said the board filled vacant teaching positions by reallocating other teachers, thereby redistributing students, often during the middle of the school year, and ultimately limiting their access to resources.

The union also stated that while PVSD teachers have an average of 16 years of service in the district, many are looking elsewhere due to low morale.

"We do not want to become a statistic, especially when enrollment in teacher education programs at state universities is at an all time low and good teachers are hard to find." The leaflet said.

According to a study by University of Pennsylvania in 2019, one in 10 teachers will quit after a year, and between 40- and 50% of new teachers leave the profession within five years.

The union also claims support teacher positions have been eliminated across all grade levels at a time when learning loss is prevalent due to the pandemic.

"Teachers have met every challenge throughout this tragic pandemic. Quarantine, isolation, virtual teaching, hybrid, PPE, contact tracing... all of which is above and beyond the rigorous day to day responsibilities of teachers." The leaflets said.

Many of the people that attended the rally stayed for the tense school board meeting — held both in person and via Zoom — that followed.

While the meeting agenda was short, the night was long and full of comment during the public participation portions. Emotions ran high.

Parents took to the podium one after the other to voice their complaints about the school board's handling of district affairs, as well as what parents perceived as inaction.

Those who commented were concerned about a lack of substitute teachers and paraprofessionals in their children's classrooms, as well as a perceived lack of nurses, cafeteria workers and teachers.

Parents and community members expressed the urgency for negotiations between the district and union, and a new teachers' contract, citing fears over the possibility of losing more teachers.

Multiple people accused the district of furloughing teachers, and were concerned that the district was facing a staff shortage.

The topic of furloughs, first surfaced in the spring by the school board and administration, were tabled and eventually voted down. No furloughs were carried out at Pleasant Valley.

The board approved a number of new substitute teachers that were hired through East Stroudsburg University. Students that were majoring in Education were given the opportunity to apply.

Board President, Donna Yozwiak admitted that while there is a national teacher shortage, "no class at our schools is ever unattended."

"The administration is shuffling people around during some of their prep periods and they are getting paid additional compensation for the additional responsibilities." Yozwiak said. "We are hiring personnel all the time, including in this meeting, where we approved multiple substitute hires and more."

Yozwiak said that the majority of of personnel who retired over the last four years was not replaced due to declining enrollment.

"We didn't see the need to replace those veteran teachers as the enrollment was declining and it was a cost saving measure." She said. "You have to compare teacher numbers to enrollment numbers."

Contract negotiations between the board and the teacher's union are scheduled to take place again on Nov. 23 with the aid of a state mediator.

Yozwiak was one of four people that bid farewell to the audience at the end of the meeting.

Yozwiak lost her seat due to the Nov. 2 elections. She served a 4-year term.

Len Peeters served on the board for the past 16 years and Daniel Wunder served for 8 years. Both did not run for reelection.

The current board will remain seated until the reorganization meeting on Dec. 2. At that time, newly-elected board members Michael Galler, Diane Serfass and Melanie Zipp will be sworn in.

Charlene Brennan, the acting Superintendent will transition her position to the newly hired Superintendent Dr. James Conrad on Dec.1.

In her closing remarks, Yozwiak addressed the crowd of parents who had just moments before bid her goodbye and "good riddance" during a heated public comment session.

Yozwiak spoke on the importance of "volunteerism" and voiced an intention to continue serving the PV community although her tenure was coming to an end. She spoke on her role in developing and implementing all-day kindergarten, as well as other programs and changes within the district. Yozwiak has been asked to remain on several committees at Monroe Career & Technical Institute as a community member, and is planning on establishing a new scholarship for an outstanding PV/MCTI student.

"I have actively participated in PV education for more than four decades and will continue to assist in this area." She said.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pleasant Valley teachers have been working under an expired contract