GREENCASTLE, Pa. — Kendra Trail has a plan for the Greencastle-Antrim (Pa.) School District if its teachers go on strike April 4, but she doesn't want to talk publicly about the provisions until it is absolutely necessary.
Trail said the administration started planning when the Greencastle-Antrim Education Association announced Feb. 5 its intentions to conduct a job action if a new contract wasn't reached before April 4.
“We had to start preparing then, just in case — so that we weren't caught off guard,” she said. “I have quite a checklist. It involves all sorts of notifications to parents, to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. I don't want to get into a lot of other details, but it's significant.”
As for whether classes would be in session, Trail had no comment.
“That is something that will be decided by the board,” she said. “I know the way the board is leaning, but I'm not releasing any information until I know for sure. Hopefully, it doesn't happen. When and if I know that it's going to happen, I will get that information out to faculty and parents.”
The district's 181 teachers have been working without a contract for the past seven months, with negotiations ongoing for more than a year. Salary is the main sticking point to an agreement.
A strike could mean that not only classes are in danger, but also extracurricular activities.
“They could be,” Trail said. “Again, it depends which way we approach that. I know for the most part what's going to happen, but at this point, I don't want to say because I'm hopeful that's not going to happen. I'm just waiting until I know.
“Decisions have been made on how we're going to handle several things, but that information is not being released yet.”
As the clock ticks down on the strike date, the district announced Monday that it was considering a recent proposal made by the association.
“I pretty much know the way things are going to go down if there's a strike — what will we hold, what will we not hold, what will we be able to staff, what won't we be able to staff,” Trail said. “None of that information is going to be released unless I know that it's going to happen.”