Teachers, Community Come Out Swinging At East Allegheny Board Meeting

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Teachers and the community come out swinging at the East Allegheny School Board meeting Tuesday night.

The first day of school in the district was halted after teachers went on strike over a contract dispute.

The teacher strike is creating tension on both sides.

Teachers in the East Allegheny school district will walk the picket lines again on Wednesday.

They walked off the job Monday, which was supposed to be the first day of school for 1700 students. At a regular school board meeting Tuesday night, parents and community members demanded answers from the school board.

Many who were in support of the teachers were critical of the board's inability to come to an agreement.

Superintendent Roger D'Emidio told KDKA's Kym Gable, "The demographic of this area does not sustain what they want - that's all there is to it. It has nothing to do with them not doing their job."

The East Allegheny Education Association emailed the board its latest proposal Tuesday morning.

As of late Tuesday night, no new negotiation sessions had been set.

Union president Cheryl Ihnat said, "We will be on The picket line. I should be hearing when the end of the struggle have to be very soon."

There are laws set on how many days teachers can be out of the classroom -- 133 teachers have been working without a contract since June 2012.

East Allegheny serves 1,700 students in East McKeesport, North Versailles, Wilmerding and Wall.

You May Also Be Interested In These Latest News Stories

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter