Scranton School District labor groups secure deals through 2028; award-wining choir performs for board

Apr. 3—SCRANTON — The Scranton School District will now have contracts or agreements with nearly all employees for the next five years.

School directors on Monday approved a contract extension with the maintenance and clerical union and an agreement with the group that represents administrators and supervisors.

The votes come after directors approved an early bird, five-year deal for teachers and paraprofessionals in November. The agreements follow years of labor strife and fiscal challenges for the district, which exited financial recovery in January. Any pay increases fall into the district's five-year budget projections, Business Manager Patrick Laffey said.

For the Act 93 employee group, which represents about 80 principals, directors, supervisors and support staff, employees will see cumulative raises of 14% over six years, plus step movement where applicable. The board voted 8-1, with Director Danielle Chesek dissenting.

Members of the SEIU 32BJ union — nearly 200 maintenance, clerical and behavior staff — will receive 50-cent per-hour raises in each of the three years of the contract extension, plus step movement where applicable. The extension passed unanimously.

School directors also approved an agreement with the union that provides a one-time increase to base salaries for some hard-to-fill positions, including $4,000 for licensed practical nurses and $4,000 for custodians.

The Act 93 agreement and 32BJ contract expire at the end of 2028, and the teachers contract runs through the 2027-28 school year.

"It helps the district so much when we have the certainty moving forward for a few years," board President Ro Hume said.

Show choir

Prior to the meeting, Scranton High School's award-winning show choir performed. The future of First Edition, which has accomplished a record-setting season this year, is unclear. The district continues to seek a new choir director to replace the director who left this school year, due to the lack of adequate compensation for the position.

Superintendent Melissa McTiernan said the district continues to work to increase payment for the director position without violating the Scranton Federation of Teachers contract.

Show choir season awards, in competitions in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and Scranton, include five first place, four best vocals, three best choreography, three best band, two silver medals and one gold medal. First Edition is ranked the second place Tier II choir in the nation.

The choir received a standing ovation from the audience, including from parents who spoke about the great benefits of participating in the activity.

Other issues

Several Scranton High School seniors asked the board to move their graduation from inside the gymnasium to outside at the stadium. Students spoke about a petition with 700 signatures and said a four-ticket limit for an indoor graduation doesn't work for most families. COVID-19 concerns also should allow for an outdoor ceremony, the students said. McTiernan said both high schools' commencements were moved indoors because of safety and security concerns.

The middle school schedule continues to be an issue for teachers, who for years have asked for duty periods to be reestablished. McTiernan said the district is working on establishing study hall periods for the fall.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.