Highlands Administration gathered at the Lloyd D. Hayden Community Center in October for a Coffee Talk event to open the lines of communication between Highlands and parents/guardians.
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Highlands School District teachers, who have been without a contract for more than seven months, have a five-year deal that runs through June 2026.
The district and the Highlands Education Association announced the contract agreement Wednesday after the two sides ratified a plan that includes average annual pay increases of 3.5%.
Insurance premium contributions will increase each year and several non-monetary details also were addressed, according to a release from Highlands Education Association President Ryan Wilpula and Superintendent Monique Mawhinney.
“We are happy to have been able to reach a fair agreement that takes into account the needs of the district, the taxpayers and the teachers of Highlands,” Wilpula and Mawhinney said in the joint statement.
“In the end, the primary goal for both the union and the school district is the kids, and both teams worked hard to reach an agreement that sought compromise.”
Health care benefits, with employee contributions for Community Blue Flex EPO, will start this year at 8% of the premium, capped at $100 a month. The monthly cap will increase slightly each year.
The contract took effect immediately.
Last fall, teachers marked the 100-day point of working without a contract by displaying neon green signs in their vehicles, marked with a bold “100.”
Wilpula said at the time that it was an act of solidarity and a way to remind one another that several months had gone by without an agreement with the district.
He said that starting salaries for Highlands teachers was not an issue.
The district maintains competitive pay for new hires; it ranks 21st out of 46 in starting pay in Allegheny County.
When a teacher is hired, Highlands pays $48,050. The county’s top starting salary is $52,375.
Wilpula said it was the career salary rate that was a sticking point. The career salary rate is the salary a teacher reaches after 18 years on the job. The top paid teachers in the district are paid $87,450.
The two sides met more than a dozen times in the past year to work out a deal and, on Wednesday, said they both appreciated the professionalism that was shown in negotiations.
