Mt. View rejects fact finding report

BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

Mt. View directors voted to reject a fact finding report related to negotiations for a new contract with the Mountain View Education Association.

The board vote at a special meeting Monday night, Oct. 6 was 7-0. Two board members did not attend the meeting.

Board members could not comment on their objections to the report. Board president Thomas Stoddard told the Independent that after the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board is informed of the vote, the fact finding report will become public. He said it could possibly appear on the district’s website this week.

Mountain View teachers have been working without a contract for two years. In September, the district agreed to meet with representatives of the Mountain View Education Association and an independent fact finding negotiator, where each side would have the opportunity to present its side of the contract dispute.

The fact finding report was submitted at the end of September, and both sides had 10 days to consider the findings, then vote to accept or reject them.

During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, Nathaniel Tompkins of South Gibson expressed his concern over a class scheduling conflict for his 6th grade daughter.

“I found out that my daughter missed several science classes so she could go to her band lesson in the school,” Tompkins explained to the board. “Since I consider science more important than band, I had my daughter drop out of band.”

He also said his daughter joined the “Chimettes” group at the elementary school, but when Tompkins learned she missed math class to attend practices, he also had her drop “Chimettes.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m an engineer, so I think science and math are more important than band,” he continued. “Is there anything that can be done about the scheduling so she can be in the band without missing classes?”

Acting superintendent Karen Voigt said she was aware of the scheduling conflict, and would see if the problem can be resolved.

The board also approved elementary teacher Scott Fisher as coordinator of the 6th grade trip to Washington, D.C. in 2014; and a visit for three elementary teachers, 20 students and 20 parent chaperones to Roba’s Family Farm in N. Abington on Monday, Oct. 27.