Published Saturday, March 8, 2003
contract
Mercer Area School Board and its teachers' union Thursday agreed on a new five-year contract after 14 months of negotiations.
Both the board and the 103 members of the Mercer Education Association made concessions to reach the agreement. According to a release, teachers will get a 3.7 percent -- or $1,780 -- raise each year of the contract; in return they agreed to work two additional days a year and to begin paying part of their health-care benefit for the first time.
"The contract negotiations process was a long and difficult process," school board chief negotiator Jeffery Brandes said in the release. The additional work days, he said, will "help provide our staff with further training ... to keep current with the changing landscape of federal and state requirements."
Marie Palmer, chief negotiator for the union, called the contract equitable. "Negotiating in these difficult times requires a spirit of cooperation and willingness to compromise. A fair wage and benefits schedule must be maintained, while considering the district's ability to fund the contract."
Under the contract, this year the starting salary for teachers with a bachelor's degree will be $28,250; the highest step on the pay scale for teachers holding bachelor's degrees is $55,888.
A step is based on years of service, with a teacher climbing one step each year, up to a maximum of 20 steps.
In the final year of the contract, the starting salary will be $35,608, with the highest step set at $58,984.
The pay increases mean the average teacher's salary rose from $45,068 last year to $46,090 this year.
Also, when teachers retire, they will receive an increase in the amount they are reimbursed for unused sick leave. The contract also includes new funeral and emergency day considerations.
Teachers also renegotiated health-care benefits for retirees.
The concessions in health-care benefits, school administrators said, will save the school district a substantial amount of money. The contract is retroactive to July 1 and will continue through June 30, 2007.