Sharon teachers OK 4-year pact with pay freeze

SHARON, Pa. (AP) — The Sharon City School Board has approved a new four-year contract with its teachers’ union that includes a one-year wage freeze, but calls on the district to pay more into the teachers’ pension fund.

The union had approved the contract Friday before the school board some 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh voted 7-1 to support the new deal Monday night.

Board president Melvin Bandzak cast the lone “no” vote against the contract, saying he opposes a provision letting teachers take a buyout if they opt not to take health-care coverage for their families. Bandzak tells The Herald newspaper of Sharon that provision is unfair to single teachers and says paying people to not take the insurance essentially turns the buyout into a pay bonus instead of a fringe benefit.