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<p>UNION TWP. &#8212; The Northwest Area School Board unanimously approved Wednesday a three-year contract with the 81-member Northwest Education Association. The deal hikes teacher contributions to health care coverage but also boosts instructor salaries.</p><p>Michael Kreidler, president of the school board, and Debbie Zabielski, lead negotiator for teachers, said the pact calls for hikes of 6 percent for health care premiums in 2017 and 7 percent in 2018.</p><p>The contract runs retroactively from Sept. 1, 2016, to Aug. 31, 2019.</p><p>Increases in the salary steps are scheduled to be $500 in 2017 and $300 in 2018.</p><p>Vito Malacari, president of the Northwest union, said teachers are &#8220;happy to begin a new school year with a new contract.&#8221;</p><p>Malacari and Zabielski also thanked the board for &#8220;its cordiality &#8230; and for leading the district in the right direction.&#8221;</p><p>Kreidler said a real estate tax increase of 1 percent in the 2017-18 budget is designed to meet current expenses, and will not fund the salary hikes contained in the new pact. Kreidler also said the district retained control on issues relating to layoffs and class sizes, besides securing a compromise on health care.</p><p>The negotiating team for the board consisted of Kreidler, Michael Beleski and recently retired school director Randy Tomasacci.</p><p>Following a roll call vote, a standing-room-only crowd in the high school library gave the school board a standing ovation.</p><p><strong>New board member</strong></p><p>In other business Wednesday:</p><p>&#8226; The board voted unanimously to install Clement Benson as a new board member, succeeding Tomasacci. Benson described himself as a 26-year resident of Northwest &#8212; Lake Shickshinny in Union Township &#8212; and a former 20-year member of the faculty and coaching staff at Hanover Area High School.</p><p>Benson will serve out Tomasacci&#8217;s term &#8212; through 2019.</p><p>&#8226; On a 7-1 vote, with Alton Farver voting no, the board approved the recommendation of member Leigh Bonczewski to move forward on a plan to renovate Lewis Memorial Stadium with new lighting, new bleachers and installation of a 400-meter synthetic track. Field turf for the football field is also included in the work.</p><p>Bonczewski&#8217;s proposal to award a contract for engineering services to Turf, Track and Court Inc. of Harrisburg was approved with a $41,065 limit on costs. Bonczewski said the project will be partially funded through a $500,000 gambling grant and a $50,000 grant from the Berwick Health &amp; Wellness organization.</p><p>The engineering firm will survey the project, prepare specifications and advertise for bids.</p><p>Plans are to have the track ready for the 2017 season. Those projects affecting the athletic field are designed for completion in 2018.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Huntington</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Northwest school board approves teacher contract