Contract negotiations have been at a standstill for over a month in Palmerton Area School District, but the matter remained a hot topic during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

As of Tuesday, Palmerton’s teachers had worked 264 days under a contract that expired June 30, 2016.While many have pointed the finger at one side or another while assessing blame, Palmerton resident Brenda McGrath told both sides to share in the responsibility of coming to a resolution.“There are two sides to negotiations,” McGrath said. “You can’t walk in with your first proposal and expect that to be the last. The teachers and school boards in Jim Thorpe and Northern Lehigh didn’t come to the table with the same proposal. They negotiated. If there is nothing but finger pointing, the only people who will suffer are the children.”Palmerton teachers went on strike for two weeks earlier this year. With snow days also adding to time missed, students are scheduled for a June 21 final day of school.Superintendent Scot Engler said that while graduation will be firmly set for June 19, the district would suffer a loss of state subsidy funding.“At this point, it’s less than a $4,000 loss,” Engler said.Before McGrath asked for both sides to end the finger pointing, resident Ken Sutton again criticized the board’s negotiating committee for what he believes to be too much reliance on the district’s attorney, John Audi.“You were elected to negotiate,” he told the board. “Why are we paying a lawyer when you knew going in that this was part of your job as an elected official?”Audi clarified Tuesday night that his current salary is $145 per hour for regular district matters and $190 per hour for labor negotiations.He is not currently under contract with the district.“I submit a fee to the district every year and they can use my services or they don’t have to,” he said. “They are under no obligation to continue to use my services.”Former Palmerton teacher and current resident Audrey Larvey said she would like to see the district officially act on Audi’s fee arrangement every year so the public is aware of the current rate.The last official reference of the rate of pay charged by the law firm is from board minutes in 2012. At that time, the district approved a three-year agreement with the firm. Audi’s rate has increased $5 per hour since that time.Charles Gildner, one of four Palmerton board members currently on the district’s negotiating committee, said the board is limited in what it can tell the public because negotiating sessions are currently private.“We would love to open it up to the public so they can see what is happening and form conclusions for themselves rather than getting a little bit from one side and a little bit from the other side,” Gildner said. “Both parties have to agree for it to be public.”Board President Chuck Myers echoed Gildner’s remarks, noting that a public negotiating session is likely the only way to put an end to the questions that come before the board each month.“Until that happens, you probably aren’t going to get the answers you’re looking for,” he said.