Pennsylvania School District Pays 2 Teachers $170K in Bias Suit

A Pittsburgh-area school district will pay a $170,000 settlement to two male teachers who claimed newly hired male teachers were paid less than their female counterparts.

The Steel Valley school board approved the settlement Tuesday night. Six days earlier a federal judge had asked the board to approve the settlement after previously rejecting the deal because it would be too costly.

Teachers Clay Karadus, hired in 2004, and Steven Large, hired in 2002, sued in February. The teachers sought back pay, damages, and court costs.

In a prepared statement, board President Beth Cannon said the decision to approve the settlement was “the only one that made financial sense.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that about $124,000 of the settlement will come from the district’s general fund.