NFT, NSB to Meet in 44th Negotiation Session Tonight

In their 44th meeting, the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers and Neshaminy School Board will meet tonight in another attempt to discuss terms of a new contract.

Both parties met last .

According to a statement released by the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers following that last meeting, the union presented the board with its eighth proposal, which the board rejected almost immediately.

School Board President Ritchie Webb said that at $32,936,684.00, of which $21,414,105.66 is payable out of this year's budget.

In their proposal, the NFT modified its offer to include a 2014 salary increase of 3.25 percent, Webb said.

"It's important to note that with our salary/level matrix, a 3.25 percent across-the-board increase equates to an average increase of approximately 7.2 percent over the previous 2013 NFT Proposal," Webb said.

The inclusion of 66.1 percent pay increase plus benefits in one contract, Webb stated, "demonstrates that the NFT has absolutely ZERO regard for our financial situation, and it proves that Louise Boyd, fueled on by all the top-tiered teachers of the NFT, has no desire to settle this contract with any meaningful concessions."

The school board had previously presented the NFT with .

When the school board asked for a response from the union about the Soudertown contract as well as their , Webb said that NFT responded by saying that their answer was “no” to the Souderton Contract and to reference their written proposal.

"The board's position is that teachers must capitulate to each and every one of the district’s self-styled 'gut' proposals as a precondition to bargain," the union stated.

In response, the NFT has filed unfair labor practice charges with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board challenging the district’s "disingenuous participation in the negotiation process over the past four years."

Both sides will meet tonight and Patch will have an update of any progress made in the meeting tomorrow morning.