CLEARFIELD – Calling it a fair settlement for both sides the Clearfield school board and the Clearfield Education Association both voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a fact finder’s report that will now become a contract for the district’s 187 teachers.
The school board and the CEA had been bargaining to settle a new contract since January of 2015. CEA members have been working under the terms of the expired contract since June of 2015. The new four-year contract is retroactive to June of 2015 and expires in 2019.
“We would like to thank the school board for their cooperation during this process during the past 15 months,” said David Wright, president of the Clearfield Education Association.
“The fact finder’s report was a compromise for both sides and helped to move the process to a settlement.”
The new contract includes some major changes in health care offerings and salary increase of 2.9 percent annually.
“We recognized that the reality is that healthcare costs are increasing, and it was necessary for our team to compromise on this issue,” Wright said.
“At the same time, we had to make sure that our members were fairly compensated for the outstanding job that they do for the students in our community.”
Board President Larry Putt agrees the “the report helped resolve a long and professional process” that created a compromise and a framework that should benefit the students.
Putt also thanked the board’s negotiating committee for the time and effort put forth. Additionally, on behalf of the board, he gave much thanks to the teachers for their continued efforts and professionalism during the negotiating process.