MANSFIELD — Officials say employees at Mansfield City Schools will be receiving bigger paychecks and better health insurance as a result of newly-approved union contracts and a new health insurance plan.
The Mansfield City Schools board of education voted on several agreements Wednesday night, including three-year contracts with the Mansfield School Employees Association (MSEA) and Teamsters Local 52.
The MSEA represents both teachers and support staff. Teamsters represents the district’s bus drivers, mechanics and aides.
Collective bargaining agreements for the 2026-2027 through 2028-2029 school years includes raises for all union employees, including a cumulative 11 percent base pay raise for teachers.
The board also agreed to one-time, $750 signing bonus for all union employees this school year.
The agreements also incorporate a new benefits package offered through TeamCare that will take effect in January.
Districts officials said the new health insurance plan will cost the district around $4 million less per year.
Treasurer Tammy Hamilla estimated the district will still see a savings of about $1 million annually after accounting for the pay increases and other benefits provided in the new contracts.
Superintendent Stan Jefferson said Mansfield City Schools currently has a lower-than-average starting teacher salary compared to other schools in the region.
“We have faced challenges attracting and retaining qualify candidates because we simply haven’t been able to compete with neighboring districts,” Jefferson said.
“This contract negotiation was designed to better compensate our staff and make our overall package more competitive in attracting new talent, while remaining mindful of district resources and taxpayer dollars.”
The new base salaries for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree will be:
- $37,860 as of July 1, 2026
- $39,375 as of July 1, 2027
- $40,556 as of July 1, 2028
School board President Chris Elswick said the district was able to offer competitive raises to teachers and other employees because of anticipated savings in its health insurance plan.
“This was really a game changer,” Elswick said. “This really put us on a lot better financial footing for the foreseeable future.”
Health insurance costs have been a financial pain point for several area school districts, including Mansfield City Schools.
TeamCare is a non-profit labor health fund affiliated with Teamsters. Since Mansfield City Schools has Teamsters employees, the entire district’s workforce is eligible to enroll, according to Brandon Jackenheimer, the president and business agent for Teamsters Local 52.
Jackenheimer credited Hamilla with approaching him to ask about the possibility of obtaining the district’s health insurance through TeamCare.
That conversation took place in September amid tnen-difficult negations with the district’s bus drivers.
“We were on the verge of striking,” Jackenheimer said.
What are the terms of the new insurance plan?
District officials say the insurance switch will save the district several million dollars due to lower rates and the discontinuation of the employee HSA plan.
“The reason we can offer the rates that we do is because we’re a non-profit organization,” Jackenheimer said.
“We don’t pay brokers, we don’t pay board of directors,” he added. “All of our field reps don’t work on commission, they get a straight salary.”
The district’s insurance rates will be locked for 15 months.
Hamilla said one of the most significant aspects of the new insurance agreement is that after that, the district will be re-rated against the entire TeamCares membership, rather than solely district employees, and the district’s rate will be locked for 3 years.
The district’s new health insurance plan will offers a $200 deductible for individuals and $500 deductible for families, with an out-of-pocket maximum of $2,500 per person and $5,000 per family.
Mansfield City Schools will cover 95 percent of employee premiums.
According to a press release from the district, TeamCare has had no rate increases for several years and guarantees any future increase will not exceed 4 percent.
Collective bargain agreements also include raises in tutor, substitute pay
Teachers and certified staff will receive base salary increases of 4 percent each during the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years and a three percent base salary increase during the 2028-2029 school year.
Food service workers and paraprofessionals will see a base salary increase of $4 an hour, effective with the 2026-2027 school year. Maintenance, custodial and secretarial staff will receive a $3 an hour base salary increase. All other non-certified employees will see a $2 an hour base salary increase in the 2027-2028 school year, with an additional $1 increase the following year.
Teamsters employees will see a retroactive base salary increase of $5 an hour for the 2025-2026 school year, as well as a $2 an hour base salary increase during the 2026-2027 school year.
Tutor pay will increase from $25 to $32 an hour. Teachers will be eligible for a perfect attendance bonus of $350 every nine weeks (under previous agreements, it was $500 a semester).
The agreements also included increased perfect attendance incentives for staff.