Saucon Valley School Board and teachers reach tentative deal

The Saucon Valley School Board and its teachers unions have reached a tentative contract agreement with the help of a state appointed mediator.

If both sides ratify the deal it will mean the end of two years of negotiations.

The two sides met Thursday and announced the tentative deal this morning. The details of the contract are confidential until both sides ratify the agreement, according to a news release from Superintendent Sandra Fellin.

"The school board and the association made compromises in the mediation session, but the quality of education and the district taxpayers' ability to afford that education remain the objectives of both parties," Fellin said.

The Saucon Valley Education Association is set to vote Feb. 24 while the board will vote Feb. 25.

The two sides entered fact finding in the fall at the request of the union. The independent fact finder issued a report in October, which the school board accepted and teachers twice rejected.

The average Saucon Valley teacher's salary was $70,887 in 2011-12, according to the website openpa.gov.org. The district has seen labor strife before: teachers went on a six-day strike in September 2008 and another that lasted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 30 the following year.

Source: Lehigh Valley Live