Unions In West Chester School District Agree To Wage Freezes
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) - In what's being described as an unprecedented event, the West Chester Area School District has secured wage freeze agreements with its unions that will save taxpayers more than $1.4 million.
The district could be getting $5 million less from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania if the state legislature approves Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget cuts.
Given that news, the three unions representing the district's teachers, support staff, and custodians have agreed to freeze their salaries for another year. That's 1,400 employees who are foregoing raises in an attempt to avoid deep cuts.
West Chester schools superintendent Jim Scanlon says he's never seen anything like it in his 27 years in public schools.
"I don't know that there any school districts in this state where all of the employees have stepped up to do their part to help in this tough economy, so I think this may be the first," he told KYW Newsradio today.
The district had planned for a $1.1-million cut in state subsidies, but the proposed budget out of Harrisburg will cut funding for programs back to 2003-2004 levels.
Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio 1060
