Neshaminy School District schools opened for the first day of the year Wednesday, September 5 marking the fifth year the district's teachers have worked without a new contract.

Neshaminy's teachers and certified staff have been working under the terms of their last contract that expired in 2008.

Tonight, September 6, the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers and Neshaminy School Board will meet in their 50th bargaining session to negotiate terms of a new contract.

In their last meeting, the school board asked the union to contribute 15 percent toward their health care premium.

School Board President Ritchie Webb said that this is the same amount that the district's custodians, bus drivers and secretaries pay toward their health care.

"A 15 percent healthcare premium contribution allows the district to offer both salary and step 'educations credits' in the amount of $3.2 million, which the board would be willing to do," he said.

At this meeting, the board also presented the NFT with a proposal, but union President Louise Boyd said that this proposal "was nothing more than a rehash of the same offer that the board has been making for nearly five years."

However, some progress has been made in another previous negotiation session. In their August 29 meeting, both sides were able to reach a tentative agreement on 12 items from the arbitrator's award.

The school board and NFT are still "very far apart on all financial issues," Webb said following that meeting. 

Patch will post an update on tonight's negotiation session first thing Friday morning.

Do you think any progress will be made in tonight's meeting? Let us know what you think in the comments section.