BUFFALO TWP — More than 200 employees of the Freeport School District are back under contract.

The school board approved a new five-year agreement Wednesday night with the Freeport Education Association, which represents 142 teachers, counselors and nurses, business manager Ryan Manzer said.

The board also approved a five-year agreement with the Freeport Education Support Personnel Association which represents 61 cooks, custodians and clerical staff.

The previous contracts for both had been extended through Aug. 31, leaving them without a contract for the past nine days.

The new contracts will go into effect retroactive to Sept. 1.

The teachers will receive an average raise of 2.98 percent over the five-year agreement. Their contracts include a 15-step salary scale. Step one, or a starting annual salary, for teachers this year is $36,500, a $500 increase over last year.

The other significant change in the contracts is an increased deductible for health insurance.

Daniel Lucovich, school board president, said the contract negotiations ended in a positive resolution for both sides.

“Great negotiations and great cooperation. We started back in February, and it took us this long to get to a conclusion,” Lucovich said. “Thank you for your cooperation.”