Tentative contract agreement averts teachers strike at New Kensington-Arnold

Teachers in the New Kensington-Arnold School District will get an average 3.5% pay increase in each year of a proposed five-year contract, according to a joint statement issued Sunday by the school district and its teachers union.

The district and the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association reached a tentative agreement on a new work agreement Friday night. It averted a work stoppage the association announced Thursday that its 151 members, consisting of teachers and other professional staff, were going to start Monday.

Association members will vote Wednesday on ratifying the agreement. The school board has not decided on a voting plan, according to Superintendent Chris Sefcheck.

The association delivered a strike notice to the district after talks Wednesday failed to resolve the sole remaining issue over how much teachers should pay for health care. Its members voted in March to authorize a strike.

According to the joint statement, association members’ health insurance premium contribution will increase to an average of 11.8% per year for the life of the contract.

According to the district, that is up from the roughly 8% teachers were paying under their previous contract, which expired Aug. 31.

The proposed contract would be retroactive to Sept. 1 and run until Aug. 31, 2026. It is pending approval by both the association and school district.

When the association would vote was not immediately known. School board Vice President Terry Schrock, the district’s spokesman and lead negotiator, said the school board can’t vote on the contract until its May 3 meeting.

Schrock said the 11th hour agreement “was struck when each party took steps towards the other, averting a school closure.

“Together, we now look to the future to begin the hard, meaningful work of moving the district toward its academic and fiscal goals,” he said. “We will continue working together to meet the needs of all students and maintain a focus on fiscal responsibility through collaborative effort.”

Association President Ashley Pujol said they are happy to secure a five-year agreement offering stability to its members.

“Our students are most important, and our team kept that as our focus,” she said. “Through the negotiations process over the last year, NKAEA is proud to say that we kept the values of our New Kensington-Arnold community, while we sought a fair and equitable contract.”

The district had not canceled classes for Monday because of the strike threat. With the tentative agreement reached and the association calling off the strike, Sefcheck said the district will begin the week normally.

“Both parties have met at a mutually beneficial point that recognizes the value of our teachers, while maintaining a fiscally responsible position for our taxpayers,” Sefcheck said in a statement. “I commend both sides for spending the time needed to iron out details, ensuring our students and staff will continue schooling without interruption.”