ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Bradley County: Teachers give up portion of pay raise to decrease insurance cost

By: Randall Higgins
(Contact)

Included in this article

Christy Chritchfield

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Bradley County teachers are sacrificing 25 percent of the pay raise they could have had so more of their number can have lower-cost family health care coverage.

“I think that speaks volumes about the people we employ, and I am very proud to be a part of a system like that,” Bradley County school board member Christy Critchfield said.

The school board and the Bradley County Education Association have been negotiating a new contract, said Scott Humberd, the board’s chief negotiator.

BCEA also skipped a mileage reimbursement increase so that money also could go toward insurance premiums, he said.

The board negotiators, which included Mrs. Critchfield and board member Terry McGuire, offered a 2 percent raise to certified teachers. But when BCEA asked its members to respond, most favored a lower raise and more health insurance savings for employees on family insurance plans.

“So there is a 1.5 percent pay raise for teachers,” Mr. Humberd said. “What we will do is go from 45 percent to 58 percent for the family insurance premium cost. This saves the people with a family plan about $150 a month. That’s down $150 a month from $632.”

Noncertified employees will get the 2 percent raise, Mr. Humberd said.

The Bradley County Board of Education ratified the agreement Thursday. BCEA negotiators already had approved the agreement.

Even during strong debates, the negotiators approached their talks with a positive attitude, Mr. Humberd said.

“I am very impressed with the teachers that sat down and figured up how much money this meant for them per year and how much it meant for those family covered employees,” he said.

“They did their homework, which I guess is what teachers do,” he said.

Comments