Teachers in the Upper Perkiomen School District have been working since the start of the current school year without a contract. However, that situation could be changing.

            The board has called a special meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday to ratify a three-year professional agreement between the school board and the Upper Perkiomen Education Association, according a meeting agenda posted on the district's website. The collective bargaining agreement will take effect Dec. 12 and expire June 30, 2022.

            On Tuesday, Robert LaSalle – president of the Upper Perkiomen Education Association –confirmed that his organization has reached a tentative agreement with the district. He said the members were scheduled to vote on the proposal Wednesday afternoon. LaSalle declined to disclose further details on the agreement.

            A Fair Share provision – included in the previous contract – will not be part of the new agreement, according to a memorandum of understanding posted with the agenda. According to the document, a 2018 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court prevents public sector unions from forcing non-union members to pay a portion of the dues while participating in the bargaining process.

            The professional staff has been working under the previous contract, which expired at the end of the 2019-20 school year, since the start of the current school year. In September, Nikki Gum, the district's communication specialist, stated that the staff has been extremely positive and focused on welcoming back students and giving them the best year possible over the course of the first few in-service days.

            The last time the teachers started a school year without a new contract was the 2016-17 school year, according to Gum. She wrote in the email that a new agreement was approved September 8, 2016.

            Teachers also started the 2013-14 school year without a new contract. In early October of 2013, the union and the district reached a tentative contract agreement after more than nine months of negotiations.