BUTLER TWP — Butler School District officials will be negotiating a new contract for the 500 plus teachers past today’s expiration date.

Superintendent Dale Lumley said meetings with members of the Butler Education Association, the teachers union, have been positive and professional. Their next meeting is July 8.

“Many of the language issues have worked out well,” Lumley said. “Salary and benefits continue to be the sticking points.”

Salary and benefits for all employees make up the majority of the district’s $100.7 million budget, costing $43.3 million and $27.8 million, respectively, for the 2014-2015 school year.

Ending in the contract is the district’s early retirement incentive plan. That allowed teachers who were at least 52 years old who had contributed for at least 20 years into the state pension fund and who had worked in the district for at least 10 years to retire with seven years of dental and health care benefits for retiree and spouse.

“That’s something that they’ll have to negotiate back in,” Lumley said.

Tom DeGeorge, teacher union president and a Center Township Elementary teacher, also noted that the meetings have been courteous.

He noted teachers made a number of concessions when the last contract was opened in 2011 and in a one-year extension for the 2014-2015 school year.

For instance, monthly health care premiums paid by teachers tripled. Now individual coverage costs a teacher $60, $75 for a married couple, and $90 for a family in 2011.

Supplemental contract pay, such as that for coaches, was frozen for three years. And teachers working for 19 years or more had their pay frozen.

Until a new contract is reached, the teachers will work under their previous agreement.