The Tyrone Area School District and the union representing TASD teachers agreed to a new three-year teacher contract, which will go into effect for the 2022-23 school year.

The school board voted 7-1 in favor of the new contract and 93% of the members of the Tyrone Area Education Association who cast votes accepted the contract.

According to high school English teacher and union treasurer Steve Everhart, this is the first Tyrone teacher contract in three decades to include raises that are not offset by newly imposed insurance costs or work hour demands.

“Our teachers are thankful that the school board recognizes the excellence of instruction that we offer our students, who graduate from a high school whose faculty is ranked 5th in the state, with a 97.2 building rating out of 100, behind only a handful of the wealthiest, best-resourced schools in Pennsylvania,” said Everhart.

Under the new contract, Tyrone teachers will see raises of $5,704 over the next three years. In 2023 the teachers’ raises will be $1,842. In 2024, they will rise to $1,901, and in 2025 they will rise to $1,961.

Everhart said that even with the raise Tyrone teacher salaries are still in the bottom quarter of the state, but under the new contract salaries are now more competitive in Blair County, which is especially important for the district during the current teacher shortage.

“This will hopefully allow us to attract and retain teachers who might otherwise seek positions in neighboring school districts,” said Everhart.

In the last year of the contract, the starting salary for new teacher hires will rise to $48,511, which will pass Spring Cove as the highest in Blair County.

For the mid-career teacher, 92% will be over $60,000, and the average faculty salary will jump to $63,256.

“It is natural for Tyrone and Bellwood to compare teacher earnings, and for Tyrone’s career-long teachers, they will out-earn those in Bellwood,” said Everhart.

According to Everhart, new Tyrone teachers will earn $315,200 more than a Bellwood teacher over the course of their career, although Bellwood teachers hit the top of their pay scale sooner at 15 years.

The contract will also raise coaches’ wages from the lowest in Blair County to the county average.

Everhart hopes that the new contract will help to keep current teachers in the district and attract high-quality candidates for vacancies.

“There is much to love about working in Tyrone, starting with our kids, and great teachers are needed now more than ever,” said Everhart.