NFT, NSB to Meet at Bargaining Table Again Tonight

The Neshaminy Federation of Teachers and Neshaminy School Board will meet in another negotiation session tonight.

Despite meeting in a Bucks County courtroom several weeks ago, both sides were unable to make any progress in their last negotiation session. 

During the last meeting, the NFT presented the school board with a written proposal, which the union President Louise Boyd said served to "resolve a series of minor issues to which the Board had already agreed" -- the 12 items from the arbitrator's award that both sides agreed with.

School board President Ritchie Webb said that the proposal, however, contained wording that was "significantly different" from the original arbitrator’s wording, and the school board was unable to agree.

At that time, Webb and the board's lawyer, Charles Sweet, agreed to redraft the document and present it to the union for consideration at tonight's meeting, Boyd said.

In addition, the state-appointed mediator asked both sides to to review past proposals for any common ground, and to return to the meeting tonight "with an open mind," Webb said.