Greensburg Salem approves 5-year teachers contract

Greensburg Salem’s teachers have reached a contract agreement with the district after months of negotiations.

The deal would give teachers an average raise of 2.8% per year over the course of the five-year agreement.

Teachers have been working without a contract since July as the Greensburg Salem Education Association negotiated with district leaders.

Association President and middle school teacher Erik Doran said the deal brings an end to years of constant negotiation and uncertainty.

“Obviously, we’re grateful there’s some stability in the district after years,” he said.

In 2016, the district and teachers reached a three-year contract agreement hours before a strike was set to begin. The year before, deadlocked negotiators agreed to a one-year deal with a pay freeze for teachers.

The school board approved the new contract with a 7-2 vote. Board members Frank Gazze, Charlotte Kemerer, Ron Mellinger, Nicholas Rullo, Rachel Shaw, Lynna Thomas, and Steve Thomas approved the deal. Jeff Metrosky and Robin Savage dissented.

Mellinger said the contract was the result of compromises on both sides, but he believes the end result was in the best interest of teachers and taxpayers.

“When you walk out of a room and neither said is happy, that’s when you know you’ve done the best you could,” he said.

The average teacher salary in the district is $69,519. The district’s 2019-20 pay scale starts at a salary of $51,305 for an inexperienced teacher with a a bachelor’s degree and maxes out at $88,003 for experienced teachers with a doctorate.

The Greensburg Salem Education Association represents about 200 teachers, nurses and counselors.