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Monessen School District teachers agreed to increased health insurance contributions in exchange for modest pay hikes under the contract approved last week.
The Monessen School District on Tuesday released copies of the four-year pact – retroactive to last school year – as well as the contract that expired June 30, 2014.
The Valley Independent requested copies of the contracts after the district and the Monessen Education Association declined to discuss details of the pact Friday after the school board and the union approved the deal.
The old three-year pact, which took effect July 1, 2010, was extended mid-contract with a one-year salary freeze, Superintendent Dr. Leanne Spazak noted.
Under the old contract, teachers contributed $55 per month for individual health insurance coverage and $130 a month for all other plans.
Under the new contract, teachers will contribute $75 a month for individual coverage in the 2015-16 school year, $85 a month in 2016-17 and $95 a month in 2017-18.
For parent-and-child coverage, they will contribute $150 a month in 2015-16, $160 a month in 2016-17 and $170 a month in 2017-18.
For all other coverage, teacher contributions will be $155 a month this school year, $165 a month in 2016-17 and $175 a month in 2017-18.
Health insurance is provided through the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Rate Stabilization Consortium.
The district will continue to provide free dental and vision coverage for employees and their families under the consortium system.
The contract continued a 17-step salary schedule.
Spazak said the district offered the teachers what amounted to a one-half of 1 percent increase per year per salary step. The union opted to decide how to distribute the new money over the steps of the salary schedule, Spazak said.
The average salary increase is 3 percent each year of the contract.
Spazak said the teachers wanted to increase the salary benefit for teachers with master's degrees over those with bachelor's degrees at each step.
Under the contract, a teacher holding a master's degree will receive $1,200 more annually than a teacher at the same step with a bachelor's degree, throughout all four years of the contract.
The contract eases the size of the salary jump from step 16 to 17, the top of the salary scale.
Under the old pact, step 16 salaries in 2013-14 were $58,412 for those with bachelor's degrees and $59,396 for those with master's degrees. Step 17 paid $73,950 for those with bachelor's degrees and $75,150 for those with master's degrees.
By the end of the contract in the 2017-18 school year, the top step will pay $75,950 for those with bachelor's degrees and $77,150 for those with master's degrees.
Teachers who entered at the first step in the 2014-15 with bachelor's degrees earned $34,518. Those will master's degrees received $35,718 in 2014-15.
“What we offered is fair, and I think will help our district,” Spazak said. “Am I sure it's going to assist us four years down the road? I don't have a crystal ball.
“I want to give our teachers a raise, make them happy and sustain ourselves.”
Chris Buckley is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at cbuckley@tribweb.com or 724-684-2642
