MARS — The Mars Area School District has publicly released the state fact-finder’s report that will form the basis of a new four-year teacher contract, including 4.75% annual salary-schedule increases, two fewer salary steps and health-insurance changes beginning in the agreement’s second year.
The report, released publicly Thursday, splits the difference on several major issues separating the district and union. Neither side received everything it proposed during negotiations.
The union sought a five-year contract with annual salary-schedule increases ranging from 5% to 6%. The district proposed a three-year agreement with annual increases of 3.5%.
Fact-finder Marc A. Winters recommended a four-year agreement covering July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030, with salary schedules increasing 4.75% each year. The first increase is retroactive to July 1, 2026.
The report describes the recommended salary increases as a compromise intended to keep Mars competitive in recruiting and retaining teachers while allowing the district to maintain financial stability.
Concerns about teacher recruitment and retention surfaced before fact-finding. Following an earlier school board meeting, the district solicitor told The 228 Times that Mars had lost teachers to Seneca Valley and other neighboring districts. A person familiar with the departures told The 228 Times that approximately 17 teachers left Mars for positions in other school systems. The 228 Times asked the district to confirm that number and identify how many departures involved neighboring districts but did not receive a response before publication.
At the same time, Winters concluded that the district’s financial information and comparisons with other school systems did not support the union’s complete salary proposal.
Meckler said the equivalent of a 4.75% annual increase will be added to the salary pool and distributed across the salary schedule based on employees’ education levels, experience and placement on the schedule. Consequently, the percentage increase received by an individual employee may vary.
Salary schedule shortened by two steps
The union proposed eliminating four steps. The district did not propose a reduction in the number of steps in the position described by the fact-finder.
Under the recommendation, one step will be removed beginning with the 2027–28 school year, and another will be removed beginning in 2029–30.
The publicly released report states that salary schedules are attached, but the seven-page document posted by the district does not include them. Meckler said the association has the schedules, but is not permitted to release them, although the district may choose to do so. Consequently, the precise salary at each step and education level cannot yet be determined from the publicly available document.
Board approves report 8-1
Kennedy said his objection centered on the recommendation to reduce the salary schedule from 20 steps to 18. He told The 228 Times that school boards had pushed approximately 25 years ago for longer salary schedules with more steps, and he opposed reversing that approach by eliminating two steps now.
During the meeting, Kennedy said the salary-schedule reduction was his only significant concern with the fact-finder’s recommendations.
Healthcare changes begin in second year
The current health-insurance arrangement will remain in place during the 2026–27 school year. Several changes will take effect in 2027–28.
The plan will include a $2,000 individual deductible and a $4,000 family deductible. GLP-1 medications prescribed for weight loss will no longer be covered, although employees with an existing prescription will receive a 90-day transition period.
The agreement also requires mandatory mail-order prescriptions and sets the payment for employees who waive district health coverage at 23% of the premium amount the district otherwise would pay for their coverage, according to Meckler.
The healthcare recommendation represents another compromise. Teachers retain their current plan for the first year, while the district receives several cost-control measures during the remaining three years.
Other contract provisions remain unchanged
Meckler confirmed that issues not specifically changed by the fact-finder will remain under the terms of the previous agreement.
The report also says the district and union had reached approximately 30 tentative agreements before fact-finding. Those agreements will be incorporated into the new contract, although the report does not identify or explain them.
Both sides accepted report
“We’re extremely happy to have this over with,” Meckler told The 228 Times following Wednesday’s meeting. “It’s sad that it took this long, but at least it’s something that the teachers feel comfortable with. And we can move on from this onto other things that we can do to make this district better.”
Approximately 243 teachers and other professional employees are represented by the association. The district serves approximately 3,315 students in Mars and Valencia boroughs and Adams and Middlesex townships.
The previous six-year collective bargaining agreement expired June 30. The district and union began negotiating Jan. 20 and met approximately six times before the district requested fact-finding in July.
Winters considered the district’s finances, the interests of taxpayers and contracts in comparable school systems before issuing his recommendations Aug. 31.