The Leonia teachers union agreed to a new contract with the Leonia Board of Education that changes the type of health benefits the employees receive in exchange for better salary increases.
The three-year contract removes the traditional health benefits for a point-of-service type plan with a network of doctors to choose from.
"That’s a significant change and allows us to manage the health premium increase we were facing," Superintendent Bernard Josefsberg said.
Josefsberg said the traditional plan is "a dinosaur" and the change is happening around the state.
"We were facing a 28 percent increase," Josefsberg said. "We couldn’t afford it."
He said the difference between the District’s costs for health benefits for the family of a teacher went from more than $20,000 to about $14,000 or $15,000 with the new plan.
Josefsberg said the savings allowed the district to add money to the salary pot and maintain its staffing levels.
"That’s a good trade," he said. "We don’t have to make other cuts to cover our costs."
The first year of the contract calls for a 5.3 percent increase and the second and third year call for 4.5 percent increase in salaries. Josefsberg said the district’s teacher salaries have been lower than the area average.
"We still have a ways to go but this makes it a little more competitive," he said.
Another key point in the contract is that non-tenured teachers are required to do 10 additional hours of professional development and after-school workshops. The contract also has important wording that allows the district to consider an alternative daily schedule at Leonia High School, Josefsberg said, but immediate changes are not being proposed.
With the salary guide increases and savings in health benefits, Josefsberg said it was a "win-win" for everyone in the District.
