Bellefonte teachers authorize strike for Oct. 12

BASD officials look to negotiate contract before deadline

BELLEFONTE -- Bellefonte area educators have overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike, as union members continue to negotiate its contract with the Bellefonte Area School District.

The announcement comes this week, just days after the Bellefonte Area Education Association said it would put a vote to its membership.

"Bellefonte Area Education Association's membership (Monday) voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike authorization. Approximately 94 percent of members voted; of those, 99.5 percent voted in favor of authorization," a release from the association said.

Bellefonte Area Education Association represents approximately 230 professional staff at BASD, and is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

After the vote, the release stated the union's negotiations committee voted to deliver a strike notice to BASD, with a start date of Monday, Oct. 12. The release said it offered multiple negotiation dates prior to the deadline.

Union leaders expressed their resolve to use the coming weeks to reach an agreement.

"A strike is always a last resort," said union President Allison Kyte, a mathematics teacher at Bellefonte Area High School. "Our immediate goal is making progress at the table. We're committed to using the coming weeks to reach a fair agreement and have offered multiple bargaining dates to the district to continue negotiations. We hope the district meets us at the table in the same spirit."

Bellefonte educators have not taken strike action since September of 1972, the release said.

"Our membership has made it loud and clear to district negotiators that we believe we and our

students deserve more than what the district is offering," said Chief Negotiator Larry Fry, a social studies teacher at Bellefonte Area Middle School. "They need to show they're listening by reaching a fair deal, because we're ready and willing to strike if we're forced to do so."

The parties next negotiate on Sept. 22.

A previous release from the union noted negotiations have been taking place for a year, having begun in September 2025.

BASD Superintendent Roy Rakszawski and school board President Jon Guizar issued a joint statement on Wednesday following the announcement.

In the letter, Rakszawski and Guizar emphasized the strike "is not a certainty" and noted there is still time to avert the strike before Oct. 12.

"The board of directors are committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith until a fair and equitable agreement is reached," the letter reads. "Both the district and the association share the goal of resolving this dispute without disrupting student instruction."

Rakszawski and Guizer's letter noted the district and association have multiple bargaining sessions proposed between now and Oct. 12.

"We stand ready to dedicate the time necessary to reach a solution," the letter states.

"We believe that open, honest and ongoing communication is essential. We will continue to keep you informed as negotiations progress and will provide follow-up information and contingency plans should a disruption to the school schedule become unavoidable," the letter concluded.