JEFFERSON TWP — Negotiations will continue Monday on the South Butler School District teachers’ contracts. The teachers have been without a contract for a year and a half.

The previous contract expired in June 2014, meaning the district’s 168 teachers are working under the status quo. They still receive the same benefits and wages in the previous contract, according to district solicitor Tom Breth.

During Monday’s closed negotiations, the teachers and district will discuss health care options, which are the main issue, according to Carol Mintus, the South Butler County Education Association’s temporary representative from the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

“Right now, there is just no movement,” she said. “There was a fact-finding (report) that the district accepted that the (teachers’) association did not.”

The fact-finding report by Marc A. Winters was rejected in October by the teachers union. Winters’ report called for a five-year contract from 2016-2021 and suggested a health-care plan through Highmark, which saves the district money in the long-run but has increases in employee payment, despite the elimination of co-pays.

“Health care costs for everyone are continuing to increase at a rate that is not sustainable,” Breth said during the school board meeting on Dec. 9.

“Although the deductible has increased, the co-pays have gone away.”

Breth explained that under the previous PPO plan, employees could not be sure what the maximum amount they would pay in a year would be. The deductible under that plan was $250 for a single employee and $500 for a family, Breth said.

However, with the new proposed plan, a single employee would pay a maximum of $1,000, while a family would pay $2,000 in the first year, 2016-2017. This cost increases to $1,100 and $2,200 in 2018-2019 and $1,200 and $2,400 in 2020-2021.

The fact-finding report found that the proposed plan would cost teachers an additional $6 per month, but that is an average figure for all employees.

First Niagara Benefits Consulting presented an analysis of the proposed health care plan, highlighting that it would “avoid unnecessary services.”

“The board feels that is a pretty good trade-off,” Breth said of the new health care plan, which is also aimed at not sacrificing the quality of care or coverage.

The Karns City School District in July implemented such a plan suggested by First Niagara, according to Superintendent Eric Ritzert.

“The plan itself is working out OK,” he said. “It has decreased the increase in health care rates. Most employees weathered the change.”

Ritzert added the increase in out-of-pocket payments is the only difference for Karns City teachers as the benefits and programs in the plan have not changed.

The fact-finder recommended a wage increase of 1.2 percent retroactive to July 1, 2014, a 2.8 percent increase effective July 1 this year, and a 4-percent wage increase for each of the three years following.

The average salary increases would be $678 in 2014-2015, retroactively; $1,670 in 2015-2016 for the current year; $2,416 in 2016-2017; $2,513 in 2017-2018 and $2,613 in 2018-2019.

The average teacher in the South Butler district makes $62,920, meaning a 1.2 percent increase is $750; 2.8 percent is $1,762 and 4 percent is $2,516.

Breth declined to comment on what Monday’s meeting will address but said the last meeting took place on Dec. 3. Negotiations have been going on for about two years, he said.

Repeated attempts to reach Ian Babb, president of the South Butler County Education Association, were unsuccessful.

Talking about the teachers and the negotiations, David Zupsic, South Butler superintendent, said, “All of the members are acting in a very professional manner. There is a very positive relationship there.”

Zupsic stressed that both sides want to see a resolution soon.