Radnor teachers relent on college letters

Radnor High School teachers, who two weeks ago instituted a ban on writing college recommendation letters to protest their stalled contract talks, said Wednesday they will resume writing the letters after being "overwhelmed" by responses from parents.

Radnor Township Education Association president David Wood also said the school board has scheduled several meetings with the union.

The letter-writing protest rattled the highly competitive district, where more than 95 percent of students go on to attend college, university, or trade school.

Wood said many in the community were supportive, but some seniors were critical on Facebook and wore white shirts to school to protest the ban, which they felt could jeopardize their applications.

The district had declined to discuss the negotiations or the letter-writing protest, but after it became public, administrators moved quickly to assure students - and their parents - that their applications would not be delayed.

The two sides are scheduled to meet next week for the first time since Aug. 27. School district negotiators have sat at the table with teachers just six times since January.

School officials declined to be interviewed Wednesday.

In an effort to draw attention to the impasse, the teachers had sent letters to parents of seniors saying they wouldn't write any recommendations before Oct. 1 and asked parents and students to encourage the board to resolve the contract dispute.

Wood said counselors had reached out to colleges to make sure no applications would be affected by the setback.

Radnor's bus drivers, maintenance workers, secretaries, and aides also returned to school this year without new agreements. Teachers say their salaries have not kept up with those in nearby districts.

"Unfortunately, the school board has not 'invested in excellence,' as the district's motto suggests, but has invested in fields and parking spaces and signposts," Wood said.