Teachers in the Unionvile-Chadds Ford School District are
now under an extended contract. The previous contract officially expired June
30, but the extension should keep teachers on the job—even if only minimally—
when school resumes even if no new agreement is reached by then.

While negotiations for the new contract have been kept
private between the school board and teachers’ union, word has leaked that
teachers are asking for an increase of 6 percent per year for each year of a
four-year contract. Board members won’t confirm the numbers, but one member
wouldn’t deny them.

U-CFSD board director, Keith Knauss, from East Marlborough
Township, said that teachers—members of the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education
Association—would be working “by the status quo.”

“The status quo allows teachers to do any type of work stoppage
they want within the law,” Knauss said.

What typically happens under such a situation, he said, is
that teachers “work the rule.” Knauss explained that means teachers would do
the minimum required by the contract.

He said that typically means teachers would show up 10
minutes early and leave 10 minutes after school, decline writing letters of
recommendation for students and not volunteer for committees.

“It’s a display of, ‘I’m going to work to the contract, but
not do anything above the contract,’” he said.

Fellow board director Frank Murphy, from Chadds Ford
Township, said that while the teachers could do just the minimum, he hopes
that’s not the case.

“There’s a lot of nuance in interpreting the rights and
responsibilities under a contract and a status quo situation,” Murphy said.
“While there certainly could be such [minimal] actions, it’s my belief our
teachers will continue to act in good faith during the process.”

Neither Murphy nor Knauss would discuss details of the
contract negotiations, saying they could neither confirm nor deny the union’s
request for the 6 percent increase. But school board director Paul Price, from
Pennsbury Township, responded differently.

Price would not confirm the figures, but said, “I won’t deny
it… That’s not something that sounds unlikely.”

However, Price would neither confirm nor deny a rumored
countered offer from the district of no increase the first year, but a 2
percent increase each year for the remaining three years of a four-year
contract.

He has been opposed to the private nature of the
negotiations, saying he’s wanted them to be open to the public.

Price further said the “status quo” situation is not an
extension, rather that it’s required by law.

“This was not something that was worked out by the two
parties,” Price said.

He called status quo a “legal quagmire,” saying that the
board can’t make any changes without risking legal action.

Price referred to a case in which teachers in another
district were working under status quo, but went on strike when soft drink
vending machines were changed. According to Price, a court ruled the vending
machine change to be a change in the working conditions and awarded
unemployment benefits.

(Price could not recall where or when the case happened and
ChaddsFordLive.com was unable to verify his comments.)

He said that decision means the U-CF school board can’t make
any changes to the health coverage or supplementals under status quo, even
those already deemed too expensive to maintain.

Price also said the union has threatened to “work to the
contract” if there’s no new contract. He said it happened the last time the
school year started without a new contract, saying the union told teachers not
to take papers home to grade and not go to school early to set up classrooms.

“The teachers have been extremely belligerent and extremely
child unfriendly,” Price said.

Union President Pat Clark declined to comment on the
contract negotiations.

“I can’t comment on that right now because we have a media
blackout,” Clark said.

Union members are under status quo now, he said, because the
contract expired June 30. Clark sees no problems with that.

“What I can say is we’re working toward an agreement and we
will work under status quo if we don’t have an agreement when school starts.
That’s really about all I can say at this time,” Clark said. “We’ll work under
status quo as we work toward a resolution.”

Clark became union president on July 1.