Feb 26, 2020 2 min read

Talks between the Belle Vernon Area Education Association and the Belle Vernon School District are on hold – at least for several more weeks.

During Monday’s school board meeting Monday, BVEA President Daneen Watson announced that a negotiating session scheduled for Wednesday had been canceled.

“In light of this new information, it will be up to the association to determine what our next step is,” she said.

Watson noted that both sides have met 14 times since starting negotiations on Jan. 10, 2019. While the association and the district have come to tentative agreements on most of the articles, more work needs to be done to finalize a new contract. The teachers have been working without a contract since June 30, 2019.

Watson said she is confident the board will bring a fair offer to the table.

“We are coming to the meeting with that goal in mind,” she said. “Our hope is that this is your intent as well so we can finally arrive at a successor agreement that is in the best interest of all parties, and most importantly, our students.”

Before the school board left for an executive session, Superintendent Michelle Dowell said the next negotiating session could take place in mid-March.

“We need to do some more work before meeting again, particularly with financial analysis,” she said. “We are hoping to set an alternative date very soon.”

In other business, the board:

• Approved a five-year software agreement with Sapphire Software for a student information system. The agreement will go into effect during the 2020-21 school year.
• Approved Regina Stefan as payroll and benefits coordinator.