CLEARFIELD – Support staff for the DuBois Area School District will return to work Wednesday as part of an agreement reached between the DuBois Education Support Professional Association and the DuBois Area School District.
Clearfield County President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman read the agreement to a packed courtroom. According to the agreement, DESPA and the school district shall continue to operate under the old bargaining agreement that expired over three years ago.
The support staffers will continue to working on a contract through non-binding arbitration.
“This was good for both sides,” said Carl Beard, attorney for the school district.
According to Sandy Kiehlmeier, DESPA president, both sides sat down at the negotiating table yesterday, though no agreement was reached.
“It’s a step forward,” said Kiehlmeier. “I feel good about what happened here. It puts us back in our jobs.”
Kiehlmeier said that the school board’s bargaining committee proposed meeting with them again on Oct. 30.
Both parties were originally in court for an injunction that was filed by DESPA to stop the school district from using volunteers and others to do fill support roles left vacant by striking workers.