DALLAS TWP. — The teachers union president stormed from the meeting room Monday after the Dallas School Board voted to deny a grievance.

The union filed the grievance in response to the board’s June decision to deduct seven unworked days from teachers’ salaries, which would recoup the district nearly $500,000 in wages, healthcare and pensions.

After the board voted 6-1 to deny the grievance, Dallas Education Association President Michael Cherinka abruptly left the room and dropped the meeting’s agenda on a table.

Board members Patrick Musto, Larry Schuler, James Gattuso, Catherine Wega, Sherri Newell and Jeff Thomas supported the resolution; Kristin Pitarra voted against it. Charles M. Preece and Gary Youngblood were absent.

“I think more work could have been done to benefit the students and the teachers,” Pitarra said.

Schuler said he is “trusting the grievance process” as he cast his vote.

According to the Dallas Education Association contract, executed on April 11, 2011, teachers are required to work 185 days, 180 of which are student instructional days.

A 22-day teachers strike, which started Nov. 14 and ended three days past the state-mandated return date of Dec. 13, combined with several snow days, prevented teachers from completing the required number of instructional days by June 30.

School board solicitor Vito DeLuca said “there is no next step for the district” regarding the salary deduction. The union must seek out an arbitration process if membership wants to resolve the matter.

Arbitration requires a neutral, third party to hear both the union and district positions to determine whether or not the district must pay the teachers.

District teachers have worked without a contract since August 2015. The board began negotiating with the union in 2014.

In other business, Alloy 5 architect Randy Galiotto presented the board with conceptual designs for a new 57,371-square-foot elementary school to house third, fourth and fifth grades.

The proposed $18.5 million school would replace the 45-year-old prefabricated Dallas Elementary School.

Kindergarten, first and second grades would be housed in Wycallis Elementary School.

Currently, both Wycallis and Dallas Elementary house kindergarten through fifth grade.

The proposed school would be built on the district’s campus, next to Wycallis Elementary. Both elementary schools would share a bus pad off Conyngham Avenue.

Parents and caregivers dropping off or picking up students would use a separate route behind the proposed school, Galiotto said.

The proposed building plan includes a gymnasium, lobby and cafeteria, as well as music and art rooms, a media center (library), and eight third-grade classrooms on the first floor. Eight fourth-grade and eight fifth-grade classrooms are proposed for the second floor.

The next public school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Aug. 14 in the administration building.

Shadows of Dallas School Board members are cast against a projected presentation about a teachers strike at a November meeting.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL112916Dallas4-TonedBW.jpg.optimal.jpgShadows of Dallas School Board members are cast against a projected presentation about a teachers strike at a November meeting. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader file

By Eileen Godin

egodin@timesleader.com

Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLnews.