New Kensington-Arnold teachers accept new contract

New Kensington-Arnold School District’s teachers ratified a new contract Wednesday, a representative of the Pennsylvania State Education Association said.

The teachers union and the school district reached a tentative five-year agreement Friday night, averting a strike that the teachers had announced would begin Monday.

According to a joint statement from the association and school district, the new agreement is retroactive to Sept. 1 and will run until Aug. 31, 2026.

It provides an average 3.5% pay increase each year.

How much teachers pay toward their health insurance premiums had been identified by both sides as the only unresolved issue.

Under the agreement, association members will pay an average of 11.8% toward health insurance premiums per year.

That’s up from the roughly 8% teachers were paying under their previous contract, according to the district.

No details were released on how the teachers voted. The association represents 151 teachers and professional staff including nurses and school counselors.

Ashley Pujol, president of the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association, said the proposed contract was presented to teachers during a meeting Wednesday, and they were able to ask questions before voting.

“I’m very pleased that both sides could reach an agreement prior to a strike so we did not disrupt the education process,” she said.

The contract is still awaiting the school board’s approval. Board Vice President Terry Schrock, the district’s lead negotiator and spokesman, previously said the board would not vote on the agreement until its next regular meeting May 3.

Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said he has not discussed plans with the board for it to vote earlier than that meeting.

The last contract between the association and district expired Aug. 31.

“I am extremely happy that our board and education association have reached this agreement,” Sefcheck said after the union ratified the contract. “It signifies months of negotiations and deep discussions about the future of our district. We can focus all of our attention on achieving our vision for a better district. At the end of the day, we all want a great place to work and even better place to learn.”