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District contrasts administration, union proposals

Harrisburg Unit 3 Superintendent Mike Gauch compared and contrasted the school district's and the union's proposals Wednesday.

According to Gauch, a one-year- and three-year-option are on the table. These are the district's proposals:

1 year agreement - Teachers would receive a step increase. This would reflect an average salary increase of $917.64 for each teacher who is eligible to receive a longevity increase. The cost to the school district for this one year proposal would be approximately $85,000.

3 year agreement - Teachers would receive a step increase in year one. In year two, teachers would receive another step increase, plus, if the school district receives 100 full GSA funding in June, 2017, teachers will recover the lost step increase. In year three, teachers would receive another step increase. This would be an average raise for most teachers of approximately $3,670.00 over 3 years at an expense to the school district of more than $500,000 for the three year period.

Gauch said HEA has countered with the following proposals:

One-year agreement - Teachers would receive a step increase, recover the lost step increase, receive an additional 2-percent base salary increase, receive a $1,200-per-year increase to the school board's health insurance contribution, and longevity pay for 11 teachers impacted by the "salary freeze" from the 2014-2015 school year. This would be an average raise of approximately $3,700 per teacher at an expense to the school district of more than $500,000 for one year.

Three-year agreement: Year 1 - A step increase, a 3-percent base salary increase and $1,200 annual increase to the school board's health insurance contribution. Year 2 - A step increase, a 2-percent base salary increase and a $15 monthly increase to the school board's health insurance contribution. Year 3 - A step increase, a 2-percent base salary increase and a $15 monthly increase to the school board's health insurance contribution.

The HEA's three-year proposal would provide most teachers with an average raise of approximately $6,800 over three years, he said, while the compounded cost to the school district would be approximately $1.9 million over the three-year period.