Marblehead, teachers settle on contract

MARBLEHEAD-After 15 months of contract negotiations that reflected difficult economic times, Marblehead teachers have settled for a three-year contract – the current fiscal year and the next two fiscal years – that gets them a 4 percent raise and requires them to shift their health insurance coverage.They will receive a 1 percent raise on the last day of the current fiscal year – June 30 – and raises of 1.5 percent over the course of Fiscal 2011 and 1.5 percent over the course of Fiscal 2012.According to a notice on the Marblehead Education Association (MEA) Web site, the teachers reached a settlement with the School Committee on Feb. 3 and ratified it with a 3-1 vote on March 2. The School Committee is scheduled to vote on ratification Wednesday morning.The previous teacher contract expired in August. The Marblehead Education Association (MEA) also includes nurses, tutors, custodians and curriculum directorsThe new health insurance plan, which requires teachers to join the same HMO as town employees, will save the town money and could result in higher co-pays for medical care.Teacher negotiations were conducted in a much more feisty spirit in past years. They appear to be subdued this year by the fear of layoffs.On Dec. 17 more than four dozen teachers attended the School Committee meeting as a demonstration of solidarity with the teachers? bargaining team.?As colleagues and MEA members, all of us strongly support each other and our bargaining team as we work to get a fair contract,” MEA President and Village School language arts teacher Mary Miles told the committee, predicting that a proposed change in teacher health insurance would save the town $1.1 million in the first year, a figure that town officials disputed.