Most of the teachers at my school are really excited about our new contract. We're all getting a 3% raise and our average class sizes have been lowered slightly. But I am miffed about the benefits. I don't take the district health benefits and I receive about a third of what the district pays for a single person's health coverage as compensation. This new contract increases the amount the district will pay monthly for a single by $50, two party gets a $100 increase and a family gets a $200 while my compensation is staying the same. Apparently the amounts teachers have to pay for health insurance are ridiculous; we must be in the highest risk pool. Beginning 1/1 the district is picking up $845 a month for a single and $1200 for a family and teachers still have to pay a substantial amount of pocket.

I dislike the inequity; choosing to have children entitles you to more compensation? However, the amount required to cover them seems insanely high to me as well. BTW I chose the word entitled because that's the way it's presented in the lunchroom at work.

Veronica