The Union cries that they fear the students will be hurt because all the good teachers will leave if the School Board doesn't give in to the Union's demands. In the next breath they throw around the threat of a strike! Who do they think would be hurt by a teacher strike???? By the way, for those who are tempted to believe the scare tactics about the good teachers leaving if the demands are not me, just look at St Pat's School in Carlisle. They were just designated a Blue Ribbon School in The No Child Left Behind Program -- a national level designation that no other school in the area deserved. St Pat's has well qualified, dedicated teachers and guess what the salary scale is at St Pat's -- about 2/3 of what it is in the Cumberland Valley School District. So much for that Union scare tactic! Time for the union to get to the negotiating table and settle this now!

In response to member 27's comments- If you go to CvTeachers.org, your own website shows that the average STARTING salary for Cumberland Valley in 2006 was $35,083 which is over $400 more per year than the Mechanicsburg School District. Both districts have a very high median family salary and do not have the family issues that the Harrisburg School district has. The Harrisburg School District's STARTING salary is $37,281 which is $2100 more than CV. However, this is no where near enough pay to deal with the problems Harrisburg teachers deal with. CV is a playground compared to the war zone at Harrisburg!!! Given a choice between teaching in the million dollar "Taj Mahal" facitlities at CV or the war zone at Harrisburg,I am sure that 99%eachers would take the lower pay at CV!!! If I was getting paid 9th out of 25 I would NOT complain!!!! In addition, the average teacher at CV in 2005(using the same information from the CVteacher.org website), made over $49,549 for a 9 month working year!!! This ranks 9th out of 25 school districts!!!! I would love to make that much and only pay $95 per month for my family insurance(which I do NOT). If CV teachers were smart, they would have accepted the school boards offer,(which is more than an independent mediator said they should received based on what other school districts TOTAL BENEFIT PACKAGE was). Now they will have to strike and will eventually accept a worse offer. WAKE UP CV TEACHERS!!!! There is a recession and the taxpayers will not accept your PIRACY!!!!!

Member 27, if the teachers are not happy with what they are being paid, they are free to go elsewhere to some of these higher paying districts. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, and thank you for your service. The truth is that the CV school district and board provides top quality facilities and accessories to their teachers, fair benefits, competitive salaries, and will be able to replace disgruntled teachers with good, qualified teachers anytime. Striking serves no point, especially now that the period to strike is limited. Teachers need to get over themselves and face facts. You are never as valuable as you think you are and everyone can be replaced. It is a free world, go elsewhere if you feel you aren't being paid enough. What a bunch of crybabies! Go ahead and strike, just count on counterprotesters from angry parents and taxpayers. I'll personally be organizing picketers to support the school district.

I think the Unions are one of the biggest problems with the education system in this country.

The amount of inaccurate information in these comments is SHOCKING, and yet typical. Some of these comments border on out and out libel. Antman33, you pay $305 a month for family insurance? What is your salary? Is it higher than the teachers? Is your health care better than the teachers? You can't just throw out a number to compare and say, oh, well look at how much different it is. Pounder89, who is holding who hostage when the board offers LESS than their previous offer and every other school in the area has recently settled for? So, CV is regarded as the top district in the area, its teachers are considered the top in the area... and they should settle for LESS than other schools? They should settle for no retroactive pay? Are you serious? The BOARD is the one drawing a line in the sand, NOT the teachers. Leslie, the CV teachers did NOT go out on strike last time their contract was up. And you HONESTLY believe teachers are in it for the PAY? And finally, again, Antman33, if you could show me the salary tables that show CV is within $500 of other schools IN THIS AREA, as you yourself claimed, I would LOVE to see where you're getting your numbers from. CV's starting salary is 9th in this intermediate unit... West Shore is 1st and $5,000 above them. CD is 2nd at nearly $3,600 above CV. Even Shippensburg is $3,000 ahead of CV! The TRUTH is that CV is only $500 away from being in the BOTTOM HALF of the 24 starting salaries in this area.

I look at it like this: Cry me a river, strick it doesn't affect me one way or another except my pocketbook when taxes go up. Ok give them a raise but the health care issue does not hold with me, I and thousands of other people in the area have to pay for their own health insurance why not the teachers. There are a few teachers over there I would kick to the curb and there are some very good teachers but they need to bend take something reasonable untill next contract end I think the other stadium that the are building in another act of wreckless spending, and I think all sports teams in the school should be funded by the parents, not the school and should only be club sports.

I am not sure where Mechwoman went to school, but adding 5.9% to the salaries budget WILL cause a tax increase. The difference in salaries between CV and other schools is no more than $500 per year. In addition, CV kids do not have as much of the family problems that higher paying districts(Harrisburg) have. Mechwoman needs to investigate the true pay of many districts in the area. CVEA claims that they are in the low range of schools in the area. In reality, they compare themselves to Philadelphia and Pittsburg where the cost of living is much higher!! Please people, do not blindly fall for the disinformation that the teachers union is spewing!! Increased pay does NOT mean increased results when it comes to test scores. Read the latest issue of US News and World . They have an article that lists the best schools in the country and none of them are in Pa.!!

The last CV teachers' strike was 1990. It doesn't seem fair that CV has the best PSSA scores, but their teachers are 8th or 9th in pay in the area. Especially when you know that CV has a $13 million surplus and are spending over $2 million to build a SECOND stadium! Where are the priorities?? Taxes won't go up if the teachers get a fair raise and the last info I saw, the teachers doubled their contribution to health last contract. I don't know about you, but I want my kids to have the best teachers around and if they can make thousands more at Camp Hill or West Shore, we aren't going to get the best. We'll get the leftovers.

I believe these teachers at this school makes out well, money and benefits, along with retirement (I would definitely say NO more towards that end . If I am not mistaken they went on strike the last time their school contracts ended. I know myself included did not get a pay raise this year and I am contributing more towards my health benefits. Why shouldn't they. The got the best in time off. among other things. I'm not saying they don't work hard trying to teach these kids well I should say some (not ALL teachers are in it for teaching children) they are in it for time off in the summer and the money. I know my daughter had a few that were real winners. My daughter didn't go to this school but my niece and nephew does. I think you deserve a raise within reason. Everything is going up except my paycheck.

I really believe that teachers should not be allowed to strike. I have a real problem with teachers demanding 5.9% pay increases when people are losing jobs! How do these teachers expect such a huge pay increase without a corresponding TAX INCREASE!!! I really am scared that teachers without the math skills to figure out that more expenses equals more taxes are teaching our children. WAKE UP!!

I got a 1.9% raise last year! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO I wish I could go pimp slap everyone of these teachers and the union folk.

These teachers need to see reality. Most people are lucky to get a 3% increase a year. 21% over 4 years???? For nine months of work? Wake up and see how the real world works.

Well, Jay, you need to wake up and face reality. You teachers live in a fantasy world and just because you feel a tax increase wouldn't be necessary doesn't mean you should just have extra pay and benefits doled out. I'll tell you this, go ahead and strike and you'll lose any support you have from the community for competitive pay. All you do with a strike is hurt the kids, their parents (who pay your salary), and the rest of the community. Holding kids hostage to your selfish demands is not the way to resolve this. If you strike, you can count on counter protesters supporting the school district because if I have to take off from my job so you can strike, I'm going to the picket lines, with my kids, to support the school district. Count on it.

I pay over $305 dollars a month for family insurance. CV teachers now only pay $95 per month. The new offer asks them to pay $140 per month for health, prescription, vision, and dental. CV teachers need to WAKE UP!!! Those who CAN DO!! Those who CAN"T TEACH!!! How many CV taxpayers are going to ask and receive a 5.3% per year pay increase?? Nobody I know is getting these kind of pay increases!! How about the taxpayers give them their 5.3% pay increase, but lay off 10% of the teachers to teach these BUMS what life is all about???