Talks set in North Penn teachers strike

Negotiations are set for this evening in an effort to end the two day strike against Montgomery County's largest school district.

Both sides last met Sunday night.

Wages are the key issue in the walkout in the North Penn School District, which has 12,700 students.

The strike can last only through Tuesday because state law requires students to have 180 school days before June 30. Each missed day adds another to the end of the school calendar.

The union, accepting the recommendation of a three-member nonbinding arbitration pane, had proposed no salary increase in the first year of a new contract and raises of between 2.50 and 2.85 percent in each of the next four years.

The school board rejected the proposal and instead proposed no wage increase in the first year of any agreement and a 2 percent salary increase in each of the next four years.

School Board President Vince Sherpinsky argued that the district must pay additional millions to finance salary increases, due to changes in seniority.

When those figures are considered, the district's last offer amounts to an 18.81 percent cumulative pay raise; the union's proposal is 22.74 percent, Sherpinsky said.

The union offered to reduce its proposal by $1.25 million to address the seniority issue, but that, too, was rejected by the school board.

You can read this morning's Inquirer story about the strike's impact at http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_region/20100420_North_Penn_teachers__strike_has_parents_scrambling.html