The School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to approve a new three-year agreement with the Harvard Teachers Association. The major changes from the current contract are increases over the next three years in both the salary schedule and the amount teachers will pay toward their health insurance.
“Everybody gave something—something that was pretty significant,” said Mary Traphagen, chairwoman of the School Committee and a member of the subcommittee that negotiated the agreement.
Teachers will see salary increases in four stages: a 1.5 percent raise effective this September; a 2.75 percent raise in September 2018; a 2 percent raise in September 2019; and a 1.25 percent increase midway through the 2019–2020 school year.
The share of health insurance premiums that teachers pay will increase over the same period. Teachers now pay either 15 or 20 percent of their health insurance premiums, with those hired before June 2010 paying the lower rate. The town pays the rest. The teachers’ share of costs will rise year by year to 20 and 25 percent in September 2019.
While the rising salaries will be reflected in the school budget over the next three years, the savings in health care premiums will accrue to the town, which pays for the insurance of all town employees with coverage.
