Burrell teachers get 5-year contract with annual raises of nearly 3%

Burrell School Board on Tuesday ratified a five-year contract with the district’s teachers union, the Burrell Education Association, agreeing to an average annual wage increase of almost 3%.

Burrell teachers earn an average of $72,635, according to the state Department of Education.

The collective bargaining agreement covers 136 employees and goes into effect July 1.

Other terms of the contract include teachers paying $1,200 more per year for health insurance, said district Superintendent Shannon Wagner. Before the new contract, teachers already were paying $3,000 annually for their health insurance.

Supplemental salaries for positions such as coaches were frozen for the life of the five-year contract, she said.

Wagner credited the union with meeting the school board “in the middle” for the contract.

Negotiations for the contract began several months ago and concluded before the contract expired June 30.

Burrell Education Association members overwhelmingly approved the pact Monday, according to Melanie Kauffman, union president and a librarian at Burrell Middle School.

She declined to provide details of the union members’ vote but said union members were glad to reach an agreement before the existing contract expired.

“An early contract allowed us to keep our focus on students and not be distracted by having to wait on the contract, especially this year, which has been challenging,” Kauffman said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the five-year contract includes an average annual wage increase of almost 3% for teachers.