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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:57 pm | Updated: 10:55 pm, Tue Feb 21, 2012.

NEW SEWICKLEY TWP. — To help prevent a rise in property taxes, every employee of the Freedom Area School District has agreed to a wage freeze for the 2012-2013 school year.

The salary concessions, along with benefit and retirement agreements, will help the district save as much as $1.6 million over the next five years, according to Superintendent Ron Sofo.

“I think at the local level, Freedom is meeting the challenge of operating in a fiscally responsible manner while providing a quality education that the community can afford,” Soho said.

The Freedom Area Education Association, which covers 117 teachers, agreed to a three-year contract with a one-year wage freeze that will create $220,000 in savings in the new school year’s budget.

The Educational Support Professional Association, which covers 46 custodial, maintenance and cafeateria workers, agreed to a five-year contract that begins with a two-year wage freeze. The wage freeze will save the district $45,000 over two years.

Administrators, clerical staff and instructional support paraprofessionals — none of whom belong to bargaining units — have had their salaries frozen by the school board.

“The budget cuts facing Pennsylvania school districts led the (teachers) to help our district and help our community ... . We believe this contract represents a positive response by both parties to the weak economy,” said Ed Shepherd, president of the education association.

Members of both associations agreed to several cost sharing or controlling mechanisms, including paying 100 percent of any annual health care premium increase over 8 percent.

Freedom Area has passed a preliminary budget that calls for no property tax increase. The district’s 44-mill tax raise was among the lowest in Beaver County in the 2011-2012 school year. Western Beaver was the lowest at 43.3 mills.

“I think this is notable and significant, particularly at a time when the governor and state Legislature are disinvesting in public school education and shifting responsibility to local taxpayers to pay for quality education for all students,” Sofo said.

Posted in Local news, Freedom area on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:57 pm. Updated: 10:55 pm.

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Freedom Area employees accept wage freeze