Boyertown school district, teachers agree on 4-year contract

Nov. 15--The Boyertown School District has agreed on a four-year teacher contract that will include a slight pay raise, restructured health care benefits and a decrease in tuition reimbursements.

This week, the school board unanimously approved the pact with the Boyertown Area Education Association, the local teacher's union. The contract will take effect July 1.

"I'm pleased how the two sides came together," said Chad Roth, president of the teachers union. "It's always been a collaborative environment, and I think it seemed especially that way this time."

Teachers will receive a .5 percent salary increase during the contract's first and second years, .75 percent the third year and a 1 percent raise the final year.

The state's average teacher salary increase for the 2012-13 school year compared with the previous school year was 2.8 percent, according to the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Boyertown's smaller pay increase isn't unusual, said Wythe Keever, PSEA spokesman.

"A lot of teachers are accepting little or no raises these days because of the school funding crisis that's going on," he said.

Teachers will also be offered a three-tier health insurance plan with varying coverage levels and employee contributions.

Faculty members are currently offered a single coverage option, district Business Manager David A. Szablowski said.

But the health care benefits will cost teachers an average of 4 percent to 6 percent more per year than the existing plan, Szablowski explained.

Superintendent Dr. Richard H. Faidley said the new plan will help the district stay on budget.

"We wanted to make sure we continued to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, but also wanted to make sure we gave the opportunity to our employees to have a menu of choices based on their personal needs," Faidley said.

When asked how Boyertown teachers have reacted to the hike in health care costs, Roth said, "I think we're OK with it. Everybody nowadays is paying more in benefits, so we're also comfortable in paying a little bit more."

Some Boyertown teachers will also be receiving less help with their higher education tuition.

Faculty members now receive a cumulative $3,000 per year for additional college degrees. But with the new contract, they'll receive half that amount if they're working on a second master's or a doctorate degree.

Roth said although the contract isn't perfect, teachers seem content with the bargaining outcome.

"We had some input from the teachers going into these meetings and we knew what the environment was in the districts around us, so that helped," he said.

The bargaining process lasted about nine weeks.

Faidley said he's appreciative of the good relationship that exists between the union and the school board and said it is "something we are going to continue to foster."

Contact Laura Newberry: 610-371-5081 or [email protected].

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