The teachers in the classrooms at the South Butler and Karns City school districts this fall with be working under expired contracts.

Both districts start school soon while negotiations for new labor contracts continue. Karns City began today and South Butler begins a week later. In both districts, wages and health care contributions are at issue.

Karns City

Tom Breth, solicitor for Karns City, said the district has offered teachers a $1,900 increase per year of the contract. The teachers want a 4.4 percent increase per year.

The average salary in the district is $54,400.

Under the union plan, a teacher making the average salary would make $56,793 in the first year of the contract, $59,292 in the second year, and $61,901 in the third.

Adding a flat $1,900 raise each year as proposed by the district, the average salary would be $56,300 in the first year, $58,200 in the second year, and $60,100 in the third year.

The length of a new contract also is in dispute. The district is proposing three years while the teachers have asked for a five-year contract. The previous contract, which expired June 30, was for five years.

The 123 teachers of the Karns City Education Association are represented by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Anne Mathewson, regional field director for the Midwestern Region of the association, said she is optimistic that a contract agreement can be reached.

"We're still bargaining," she said. "We have several dates scheduled."

She cited a difficult economic climate to negotiate in, but said the union is working toward a contract.

Benefits at Karns City are non-negotiable, Breth said, but the contributions that employees make to health care premiums are at issue.

Teachers pay $10 per month for their health care plans. They've offered to increase that to $15 in the third year of the contract and $20 in the final year.

The district wants the teachers to pay 7.25 percent of the premium, Breth said.

Using current insurance rates, this would mean family coverage would be about $83 per month and individual coverage would be $30 per month.

Other issues include early retirement benefits and a benefit paid to married couples both employed as teachers. In the current contract, one spouse signs up for health insurance and the other spouse accepts a $3,600 annual health insurance waiver payment, Breth said.

Negotiations in the district will continue in September and October.

South Butler

Teachers in the South Butler School District will next meet Tuesday to negotiate with district representatives, said Breth, who also represents that district.

Negotiations there have been ongoing with a mediator's help since an arbitrators report was rejected in the spring. The 185 teachers went to arbitration as required by law after an 18-day strike in October and November.

The contract in South Butler expired June 30, 2008.

Neither side has detailed publicly their latest proposals.

However, district negotiators said in July that teachers rejected a 3.5 percent salary increase offer by board, and asked for a 5.2 percent increase.

The average teacher pay is $51,249, and the starting pay is $33,621.

Under the previous distract plan, a teacher making the average salary would get $53,024 in the first year; $54,899 in the second; $56,820 in the third; $58,809 in the fourth; and $60,867 in the fifth.

Using the number proposed by the teachers, that same teacher would make $53,913 in the first year; $56,771 in the second; $59,666 in the third; $62,769 in the fourth; and $66,033 in the final year.

The two sides also disagree on health care and health insurance contributions. Teachers now pay $10 per month for individual health care coverage and $20 per month for a family.