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SWB RailRiders drop a pair to the Gwinnett Braves

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I’m Big Now and Back Mountain Academy set to open for 2017-18 school year

<p>YATESVILLE &#8212; Teachers made a show of solidarity at Pittston Area&#8217;s school board meeting this week, as their union and the district continue to negotiate a new contract.</p><p>Union President Meredith McGlynn called their presence a &#8220;peaceful demonstration.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;All we want to do is make sure we get a fair and equitable contract, and we want to work together with everybody. That&#8217;s it,&#8221; McGlynn said.</p><p>McGlynn said the union and school board are moving forward in negotiations. When board President Kent Bratlee asked if negotiations have been constructive, she said they have been. Bratlee then told her the board would continue to negotiate in good faith.</p><p>Before McGlynn approached the microphone during the meeting&#8217;s public comment period, the board was addressed by a number of district residents who asked to avert a strike. Jenkins Township resident John Lombardo, a 2011 graduate of Pittston Area High School, also raised concerns about the quality of education provided to Pittston Area students.</p><p>&#8220;The board just seemed so unresponsive,&#8221; Lombardo said after the meeting adjourned. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s important that they just kind of get back and realize who they serve. I think that tonight might have been a start, but I don&#8217;t know.&#8221;</p><p>Board member Rosanne Ricotta tried to address the public&#8217;s concerns about a strike.</p><p>&#8220;We deserve to give our children the best education this district can afford, and I think this is the direction we should be going in &#8212; the best education the district can afford,&#8221; Ricotta said. &#8220;Which means we have wants, we have needs, we know what we can afford to offer, what we can&#8217;t afford to offer, and hopefully we can come to terms and reach the decision that&#8217;s equitable for everyone.&#8221;</p><p>Superintendent Kevin Booth said affordability is the board&#8217;s primary concern in negotiations.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re limited with what we can raise through taxes and the money we&#8217;ve been getting from Harrisburg. It just doesn&#8217;t make up for the increases to health care, retirement, little things like the electric bill and every other bill you&#8217;d have in your house,&#8221; Booth said. &#8220;(Harrisburg has) put us into a situation where they&#8217;re not giving us the opportunity to pay our bills year to year.&#8221;</p><p>Despite those financial constraints, the board hasn&#8217;t said a deal would be impossible to reach, he noted.</p><p>&#8220;As everyone continues to say, we want to be fair and equitable to everyone involved,&#8221; said Booth. &#8220;That&#8217;s the board&#8217;s position. I am a former teacher. I know what these people go through every day. I have some great friends that are still in the union. I work with them on a daily basis. I want to see them get what they deserve.&#8221;</p><p>Booth said negotiations on a new contract began in January 2016.</p><p>In other business:</p><p>&#8226; The Pittston Area School Board, Pittston Area High School cheerleaders and Pittston Area Marching Band will participate in Saturday&#8217;s Tomato Festival parade. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m.</p><p>&#8226; Senior citizens 62 and older with identification that proves age and residence can attend any district function free of charge during the 2017-18 school year.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Gene Axton</p><p>gaxton@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>SPECIAL MEETING</strong></p><p>The Pittston Area School Board voted this week to hold a special meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23. The meeting was scheduled to hire personnel.</p><p>The next regularly scheduled Pittston Area School Board meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Gene Axton at 570-991-6406 or on Twitter @GeneAxtonTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Teacher contract is hot topic at Pittston Area board meeting