Unionville teachers and council agree to 4-year contract with salary increase every year – Daily Local
EAST MARLBOROUGH — Principals of Unionville-Chadds Ford this week approved a new four-year contract for teachers that includes salary increases of more than 3 per cent a year, every year.
The contract with the district and the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association was unanimously approved and runs from July 1, 2023 through the 2026-27 school year.
“I think this agreement has been well deserved by our teachers,” said school board director Steve Simonson. “I think it will help us attract and retain the talent we need. It is a reasonably priced contract. We believe this is a win-win deal for our distincts.
The contract provides for a 3.5% salary increase in the first and second years, and a 3.15% salary increase in the last two years.
Under the agreement, a newly hired teacher with a bachelor’s degree would earn $59,714 and a teacher with a master’s degree would earn $64,895. Teachers with 16 or more years of experience and a bachelor’s degree would earn $82,885 in the first year, $89,460 with a bachelor’s degree, and $109,291 with a master’s degree plus 60. In the final year of the contract, teachers beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree would earn $64,604 and a teacher with a master’s plus 60 would earn $115,181 per year.
“When the board decided to talk about this deal, we had several goals we wanted to achieve,” Simonson said. “To preserve and protect our educational program, to attract and retain the talented staff we need to deliver our educational program, to provide a fair and reasonable program and to reward our employees with stability and predictability and to be fiscally responsible to our citizens.”
The contract also includes a full range of health benefits, including vision, dental care and a prescription plan. Prescription coverage includes a copayment of $5 for generic and $50 for brand name.
Employees who are habitual or regular tobacco users or vapers must pay an additional $100 per month, unless the covered employee is enrolled in a District-approved smoking cessation program.
During the first year of the contract, teachers must contribute 13% of their salary if they are registered with Keystone Direct, and nothing if they are registered with Personal Choice. In the fourth year, it is 14.5% for Keystone Direct and 2% for Personal Choice.
The contract includes full tuition reimbursement toward a master’s or doctoral degree for each credit taken up to a maximum of $4,000, only for grades “B” or higher. A pool of money in the amount of $300,000 is set aside for this purpose.
The contract defines the teaching days as a maximum of 8 hours and 10 minutes on Monday and 7 hours and 10 minutes from Tuesday to Friday. It includes a 30-minute duty-free lunch period.
Home instruction is paid at the rate of $45 per hour, not including mileage.
The contract also includes a clause prohibiting strikes and lockouts.
The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is ranked 315th best in America and sixth best in Pennsylvania, according to the latest rankings from US News and World Report, which rates schools based on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and the quality they prepare students for college.
