LORDSTOWN — The Lordstown Teachers Association on Friday ratified a new three-year contract with the school district that includes 3.5% pay increases in each year of the agreement.

Pat Barrett, a sixth-grade teacher at Lordstown Elementary School and the LTA’s interim president, said in a release the contract includes the annual raises, an end to a three-tier system for health care costs, and flexibility with some teacher work days.

The agreement was reached with the Lordstown Board of Education after teachers gave an Aug. 29 notice to strike.

“It took almost five months to get our district back to the bargaining table, but once they began engaging with us again, we were able to reach an agreement that respects the work we do and the sacrifices we’ve made,” Barrett said in the statement.

He said over the last 15 years, teachers had six years without any raises and eight years with raises that were below the statewide average.

“We’ve fallen further and further behind with every contract. Now that our school district is in very good financial shape, we stayed united and stood up for the pay we deserve,” he said in the release.

Barrett said the teachers also were able to make two other improvements that are important to union members.

“We made sure that all our members, regardless of how long they’ve been teaching, are paying the same amount for health insurance. We also negotiated the ability to work three of our teacher work days (days without students) remotely,” he said.

Barrett said solidarity among the membership and across the Lordstown community, “brought our district back to the bargaining table.”

The union represents 43 teachers.

SUPERINTENDENT REMARKS

Superintendent Greg Bonamase said the district is pleased to have reached an agreement with the teachers’ union.

“We are very happy to get to the end of the negotiation process and come to a fair and equitable solution,” he said.

The district had originally offered 3% pay increases each year, which was what the board of education approved for the 23 classified workers and all non-union workers.

The teachers’ union had asked for 4.5% raises annually over three years.

The board of education has scheduled a special meeting for 8 a.m. Monday to ratify the agreement with the teachers and also to approve a 0.5% increase for the classified union and the non-union workers to bring their pay increases also to 3.5% annually over three years.

“We look forward to a new school year and welcoming our students back,” Bonamase said.

The first day of classes for students is Sept. 3.

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