By Tatiana Zarnowski, March 12, 2005

Last updated: Saturday, March 12, 2005 4:52 AM EST

Cumberland Valley School District teachers will enjoy a 4 percent average annual salary increase in their new contract and pay either 4 or 8 percent of their health insurance premiums, depending on which of two plans they choose.

Those are the recommendations of a state-appointed fact-finder that both the school board and teachers union have accepted. The district posted the fact-finder's report on its website Friday at www.cvschools.org.

Salary increases are retroactive to last July 1, but the increase in health insurance contributions begin with the 2005-06 school year.

Here's a breakdown on what the fact-finder, Robert C. Gifford, recommended and what the district and union wanted:

Salaries

In 2003-04, the last year of the teachers' previous contract, the starting salary for teachers with a bachelor's degree was $32,883. Teachers with a master's degree at the top of the pay scale made $62,249.

• Gifford set salaries for first-year teachers at $33,883 in 2004-05 and increases them to $36,483 by 2006-07. Those with a master's degree at the top of the scale — "career" teachers — will make $62,829 in 2004-05 and $65,274 by 2006-07.

• For those years, the district offered first-year teachers $36,410 and $38,143 and career teachers $63,549 and $65,282.

• The union asked for $35,958 and $40,875 for first-year teachers for the first and third year of the contract and $63,657 and $66,556 for career teachers.

Health insurance

Currently, teachers pay $10 per pay period for a traditional health insurance plan for individual coverage and $15 for a couple or family.

• Gifford proposed two health insurance options in his report. The one both parties chose eliminates that traditional plan at the end of this school year and requires teachers to pay 8 percent of the premium for a standard health insurance plan and 4 percent for a base plan.

• The union asked the district to keep the traditional plan and also offer a new plan with a $10 office visit co-pay. Teachers offered to pay $15 a pay period for individual coverage, $20 for a couple and $25 for a family.

• The district said it would keep the traditional plan for current employees if they paid 15 percent of the premium; new employees would have to choose one of the new plans. The new standard plan would cost employees 12 percent of the premium and teachers would pay 6 percent of the base plan premiums.

Other recommendations

Gifford also recommended that paid coaches get the same percent increases as teachers.

He knocked down the school board's request to be released from the teacher contract if voters opposed a district budget increase under the state's Act 72, saying many CV teachers probably will retire in the next few years, saving the district money.

The school board voted 6-3 to approve the fact-finder's report this week. Union members voted in favor of it by the same margin March 3.

Now the two sides will combine the report with several items they agreed on before and both the board and the union will have to vote again to make them official.

On the Net: www.cvschools.org