Aug 18, 2014 2 min read

MAPLETOWN – Southeastern Greene School Board approved a new contact with district teachers Monday that includes an average salary increase of 3 percent in each year of the new five-year pact.

The contract, ratified Thursday by the Southeastern Greene Education Association, also includes enhanced vision and dental benefits and eliminates health care benefits for teachers who retire after this coming school year.

Many hours and much effort were involved in negotiating the contract, board president Joe Spiker said.

He commend those involved, including the teacher and board negotiating committees, administrators and the district solicitor, for their work and for the “professional manner” in which they conducted the talks.

Bobby Kennedy, president of the teachers union, also said the negotiating committees worked well together and the mutual respect they demonstrated was appreciated by all involved.

Raises teachers will receive depend on where they are stand on the district’s 18-step salary schedule but the average is about 3 percent each year, business manager Pat Sweeney said.

Sweeney said he believed the contract was fair to both sides and is affordable for the district.

The contract does address one issue that has been a problem to many school districts in the last few years.

Changes in governmental accounting standards several years ago required districts to set aside money to cover future obligations for post-retirement health benefits provided by contract.

Southeastern Greene is one of the few districts that had put money aside to cover those obligations.

Under the new contract, those benefits will be eliminated after the coming school year.

Board member Rick Barzanti was the sole board member to vote against the contract.

He said later he thought the contract is too expensive for the district.

Board member Janet Pennington abstained and Virginia Eberhart was absent.

In other business, the board accepted the resignation of secondary Principal Jason Pappas, who was with the district since July 2010, and approved Billie Jo Huffman, special education coordinator, as acting principal with a $60 a day stipend.

It also accepted the resignations of secondary math teachers Jennifer Smith and Kristin Crothers; and approved the recall and reinstatement of teacher Anna Kostura.

Acting Superintendent Richard Pekar announced an open house will be held at both schools from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday for parents and students. Students will begin classes Monday.