Teachers To Strike In South Butler School District
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SAXONBURG (KDKA) -- Teachers in the South Butler School District will walk the picket lines starting Thursday morning.
According to the Tribune Review, a last-ditch bargaining session on Wednesday night failed to reach an agreement.
The union gave its strike notice last Friday, but the two sides have been meeting all week in an effort to avert the strike.
Teachers have been working without a contract since 2014.
While the two sides were negotiating Wednesday, a rally was held outside the school's primary center to show support for a resolution.
The event was organized by the South Butler School Action Committee, and group organizers say they're not about taking sides.
"We're on the same side. We all want quality education, we want to make sure that our district is competitive and we want to make sure that this contract is resolved in the best interest of our students," said Heather Helsel, of the South Butler School Action Committee.
The group is calling on the school board to provide a fair and equitable contract that is retro-active to 2014.
About a hundred people attended the rally.
This will be the district's fifth teacher strike in 40 years.