Amherst schools agree on insurance plan

The Amherst Central School District's Board of Education and the Amherst Education Association, bargaining agent for 275 district teachers and nurses, have agreed to a four-year health insurance contract, retroactive to July 1, 2007 and effective through June 30, 2011.

The district will self-insure its employees for the next four years, which will modify the potential increases in premium costs. In return, district nurses were granted parity with teachers on their insurance plan, and certain requirements for referrals were eliminated.

The starting salary for a teacher with a master's degree will increase by about 2 percent over the four years, from $37,500 to $38,187. A similar increase will be reflected across the salary schedule. In the third year of the pact, teachers with 24 years of service will receive an increase of approximately 3.5 percent.

The district also reduced future commitments for retiree health insurance coverage.

"After two, one-year contracts, both sides felt it was important to achieve a longer agreement," said Jennifer Higgins, president of the Amherst Education Association. "The settlement will allow the district to continue to provide an excellent education with sustainable costs."

"The board is very pleased with the outcome," added board president William T. Blanford. "We have deep respect for the professionalism and spirit of cooperative (and) constructive dialogue that the Amherst Education Association brings to the table. This agreement strikes an effective balance between the needs of our teachers and our responsibility to the taxpayers of this community."