10/17/2025
PRESS RELEASE: Expired Union Contract Topic of Teachers’ Public Comments at Homer-Center Board Meeting
HOMER CITY, PA – The union of teachers, school counselors, and certified school nurses at Homer-Center School District delivered a petition calling for a fair contract at Thursday’s school board meeting.
The Homer-Center Education Association (HCEA) has been negotiating a union contract with the district since December last year. The existing union contract expired on August 14th. The unity statement delivered to the board was signed by one-hundred percent HCEA-represented staff in the district.
Cindy Scott, HCEA President and high school emotional and learning support teacher, said “Homer-Center has the best roster of teachers, counselors, and school nurses in Indiana County. Together, we average 23 years of experience with 763 total years. Last year, our students outscored all neighboring districts in standardized testing and teacher effectiveness scores.
Scott added, "With a teacher shortage in Pennsylvania, we are concerned that recruitment of new staff and retention of our current staff is at stake. We came back to school this year without a new contract, at the same compensation from last year, but the cost of living has only gone up. We hope the district will do the right thing and settle a fair contract.”
In the 2024-25 school year, Homer-Center students scored 24 points higher on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) than the state average and higher than all other Indiana County districts, according to district data. Eighty-five percent of students scored Advanced or Proficient in the Science portion of the PSSA, the best score in Indiana County.
On the 2024 Keystone Achievement exam that includes Algebra, English Language, and Biology, Homer-Center also achieved the highest overall scores in Indiana County. Eighth graders scored in the top 2.5 percent in Math, and top 3 percent in Science statewide.
“In an increasingly complex world driven by technology, the sciences, and discernment of fact from fiction, our students are prepared,” said Christine Yurky, high school social studies and computer science teacher, “Our success makes me hopeful for Indiana County, as it should for all of us.”
The PA Department of Education ranks Homer-Center number one in “Future Ready” scores in Indiana County.
Yurky added, “Our students are the most prepared for the challenges they’ll face in the future across Indiana County and beyond. That’s evidenced by the vast majority of our 2025 graduates pursuing higher education or entering lucrative careers at graduation. Our students are our future and our future depends on all of us.”
According to district data, 53 percent of 2025 Homer-Center graduates are attending a 4-year college or university, 6 percent are attending a 2-year community college, 11 percent are attending a trade or technical school, 21 percent have entered the skilled trades, and 3 percent are serving in the armed forces.
The district and union are scheduled to meet again for negotiations next week.
The Homer-Center Education Association is a union local of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, a state affiliate of the National Education Association. PSEA represents 177,000 education professionals throughout the Commonwealth.
