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Welcome to peaunited.com, the official website of the Pennsbury Education Association (PEA). Our nearly nine hundred members are the teachers, librarians, nurses, psychologists, speech theraprist, school counselors, and social workers of the Pennsbury School District. In addition to our deep-seated commitment to providing quality education to our students, we are all very active members of the Pennsbury community.
June 2010 is an extremely important month in Pennsbury. In June two events will occur which are especially significant to all Pennsbury taxpayers, and to all PEA members (many of whom are also Pennsbury taxpayers). During the month of June the budget for the 2010-2011 school year will be adopted by the school board. And on June 30th the current teacher’s contract will expire. The resolution of each of these critical issues will have a direct effect on all members of the Pennsbury community, particularly those of you who have children in the Pennsbury schools.
PEA has been working hard to share our concerns about the budget process with the community. During the previous school year the school board cut or curtailed educationally significant programs. Full-day kindergarten was eliminated, as was the Instructional Support Team (IST) program. Severe cuts were made to the Pupil Assistance Tutor (PAT) program. These programs provided crucial educational supports to many of our students with the most severe academic needs. This year, the school board is considering a host of additional cuts to the programs, services and staff which make Pennsbury the valued and successful district it is. These reductions in programs, services, and staff include, but are not limited to
- increasing class size for grades 3 through 12
- reducing the number of high school course offerings
- reducing the number of teachers
- deferring the purchase of new textbooks and curriculum materials
PEA is fully aware of the impact of the current economic situation on our community. Our members and their families are impacted by this situation as well. However, we believe that a commitment to quality education must be a top priority of every community. PEA remains truly committed to the mission statement of the Pennsbury School District; our aim is to see that all students reach their highest potential by developing their talents as they master the skills necessary to become productive, contributing members of society. We believe, as the mission statement proclaims, that this is best accomplished by providing “a diverse educational program with the involvement and support of families and community.” We ask that you, as members of the Pennsbury community, become actively involved in the school board’s discussions and decisions. One way to do this is to attend the few school board meetings that are left in 2009-2010 school year.
In addition to the budget, PEA has concerns about the current status of contract negotiations. To date, our negotiating team has not received a reasonable offer from the school board. Without such an offer, an unnecessary obstacle is thrown in the way of meaningful negotiations. Our members have directed our side of the bargaining table to make every effort to secure a contract that is fair to both teachers and taxpayers. It is important to note that during the 2009-2010 school year, PEA was the only teachers’ association in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to agree to a 0% salary guide increase. It’s also important to remember that contract negotiations affect not just the current membership; the tenor and length of these negotiations will affect the quality of personnel attracted to Pennsbury. Our district has long been able to attract, and hire, top tier talent because of its strong reputation as a district dedicated to excellence. PEA is only seeking a fair and reasonable contract in line with those negotiated within surrounding districts.
PEA invites you to browse through our website and view the activities in which PEA members participate. You will also find information about the many “hats” our members wear as they participate in various roles throughout the district. In addition, our website contains a number of opinion pieces about issues of concern districtwide. Please remember that despite the difficult and complex issues the members of PEA are facing, we continue to devote ourselves to the consistent delivery of quality instruction to our students all day, every day. PEA’s commitment to educational excellence is unwavering. Each member of the Pennsbury Education Association has a deep-seated, longstanding pride in our profession, our education association, and our district. Thank you for your interest and your support.