Four-year deal approved by McGuffey, teachers

Teachers at McGuffey School District will be seeing an increase in their salaries over the next few years, according to the terms of a new contract. The four-year deal, which was approved by McGuffey School Board and McGuffey Education Association last week, includes salary increases averaging 3 percent annually.
“I think we, as an association, are satisfied with the 3 percent average increase for each year,” said Andrew MacBeth, president of the education association. “Considering the economy and the economics of education, I think that that’s satisfactory.”
The starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree for the 2013-14 school year is $37,642, which will increase to $39,742 by the fourth year, according to a district news release. The top salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree for the upcoming school year is $74,174, which will increase to $74,564 by the fourth year.
The contract also calls for teachers to pay a set percentage of their salaries toward their health insurance coverage. The first year, it will be 1.25 percent of each teacher’s salary, and for the remaining three years it will be 1.5 percent.
The school board and education association have been negotiating a new contract since January. The previous contract expired July 1.
“I am very pleased and thank the teachers and school board directors on the negotiation team for the collaborative effort that resulted in a positive outcome for all parties, especially the students,” McGuffey Superintendent Beverly Arbore said in the news release.