Hempfield Area teachers get 6-year contract, almost 2% annual raises

After more than a year of negotiations that were upended because of the covid-19 pandemic, Hempfield Area School District teachers reached a contract agreement with the district.

School board members on Monday ratified the contract, giving union members an average raise of 1.8% per year over the course of the six-year agreement. That means, by 2026, the top salary will be $97,613 for an employee with a bachelor’s degree.

“While this was a long and difficult negotiations process, we are pleased to have reached an accord with the district,” Joe Scheuermann, president of the Hempfield Area Education Association, said in a news release. “With the challenges facing public education today, especially given the past 15 months of continuing to provide high-quality education to our kids during the pandemic, we’re happy to have the stability that a six-year agreement affords our community.”

Contract negotiations have been ongoing since January 2020, but were temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, said Robert Reger, director of human resources. He noted the previous contract expired July 31, 2020, and both “parties have been working under status quo since that expiration date.”

The new contract is retroactive to Aug. 1, 2020, and expires July 31, 2026.

In addition to salary changes, the new contract clarifies language as well as other updates, Reger said.

“The new six-year contract is the result of a collaborative process between Hempfield Area School District and the teacher’s union that developed through more than a year of discussions,” said board member Paul Ward, a member of the district’s negotiations committee. “I am confident that this contract is fiscally responsible for the district, while positioning Hempfield Area to continue to offer the high quality of education that we have all come to expect.”

The Hempfield Area Education Association is made up of 397 teachers, counselors, librarians, psychologists and school nurses.