JEFFERSON TWP — The South Butler School District voted 7-2 at its Wednesday night meeting to approve the teacher's contract created by the three-man nonbinding arbitration panel.

Both the teachers' representative and a school board representative presented their case to the panel, which included one representative from each side plus a neutral arbitrator.

The teachers, who have been working under their old contract for four years, will vote on the panel's agreement on Wednesday, said Ian Babb, the president of the district's teachers union.

District solicitor Tom Breth told the board and those who attended Wednesday's school board meeting that the arbitrators looked at seven issues causing the stalemate between the district and teachers. The panel's agreement recommended:

- An eight-year retroactive contract that expires on June 30, 2022.

- A 7.5-hour school day with a 30-minute lunch with a maximum of eight periods per day. In addition, in-service days through the end of the 2018-19 school year will be five hours long with a one-hour lunch. In 2019-20, two of the days will be 7.5 hours with a one-hour lunch. In 2020-21, three in-service days will be 7.5 hours with a one-hour lunch, and in 2021-22, four in-service days will be 7.5 hours with a one-hour lunch.

- Teachers must remain with the district for five years after district reimbursement for postgraduate work beyond a master's degree, as opposed to the current three years. The payback schedule for terminating employment within five years of reimbursement begins at 100 percent in the first year and decreases to 15 percent in the fifth year.

- Regarding health care coverage, the agreement recommends a deductible of $500 for a single teacher and $1,000 for other plan levels, a $30 copay for a doctor's visit, a $35 co-pay for a specialist visit, a $75 emergency room visit and slight increases in the prescription co-pay. These changes would take place effective July 1. In addition, monthly contributions for all levels of coverage would increase by $10 per year beginning in the next school year.

- Regarding the early retirement incentive, for the 2014-15 through the 2016-17 school years, the retiree and spouse option would decrease from eight years of health care coverage to seven, and the retiree-only option would decrease from 12 years to 10. For the remaining contract years, the retiree and spouse option would decrease from seven years to six and the retiree-only option from 10 years to eight.

- For wages and salaries, the panel recommends movement up the “steps,” or pay levels, through the 2016-17 school year, step movement plus $1,200 added to step 20 only for the 2017-18 year, a 3 percent increase including step movement for the 2018-19 school year, and a 3.5 percent increase including step movement for the 2019-20 through the 2021-2022 years.

- Supplemental salaries for teachers would not increase until the 2018-19 school year, when a 3.25 percent increase would be realized each year through the 2021-22 school year.

Two school board members commented at Wednesday's meeting.

Board President Matt Cimbala said he was heartened that all three arbitrators voted to approve the contract, including the teachers' representative. He said the contract takes the teachers' position on some items and the board's on others, and the previous fact-finders' reports on others.

“I'm very hopeful that this will mark the end of a four-year negotiation process,” Cimbala said.

Debra Miller agreed that the contract contains a fair compromise.

“Personally, I like the fact that it's an eight-year term,” Miller said. “It gives us four years to mend fences to improve our relationship with the teachers.”

No-votes were cast by Becky Boyd and George Zacherl. Zacherl's wife is a teacher in the district.

Zacherl said he would not comment until after the teachers vote on the arbitrators' contract.