Source Note: Nazareth Area School District and the Nazareth Area Education Association have an active CBA running September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028. The agreement is structured as General Provisions I–XIII plus Appendix A (Salary/EPED), Appendix B (Other Employee Benefits), Appendix C (Hours of Work), Appendix D (Grievance) and Appendix E (EPED point schedule) — there is no "Article 6.4"-style numbering anywhere in it, and citations on this page have been corrected accordingly. Quotations below are marked as paraphrases unless they are verbatim.
📊 At a Glance — 2024–25 (the main comparison year on this site; some peers are shown at older schedules)
$56,253
BA Starting Salary Step 1 (2024–25)
$58,836
MA Starting Salary 9th of 11 on the figures shown (Bethlehem at its 2022-23 schedule)
$101,877
MA Top Step (Step 16) 2024–25 · highest MA-lane max of the 11 · M+45 tops at $103,788
16 steps
Steps to Top Salary (ties Wilson & Pen Argyl; Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg take 12)
⚠️ Key Challenge: Nazareth's starting MA salary ($58,836) is 9th of 11 on the figures shown; Bethlehem (one of the two lower districts) is shown at its 2022-23 schedule. The two lower figures are Pen Argyl ($51,425, 2024-25) and Bethlehem ($55,235, 2022-23). Against the top of the range it is a $17,586/year gap from day one vs. Stroudsburg's $76,422, and a $12,293 gap vs. Parkland's $71,129. This is the primary competitive disadvantage in recruitment and retention.
💰 Salary Schedule — 2024–25 (the main comparison year on this site; 2023-24 and 2025-26 through 2027-28 figures are in the progression table below)
Lane System: Seven lanes based on education level: BA, BA+12, BA+24, MA, MA+15, MA+30, MA+45. Step 1-8 available in BA lane; Steps 9-16 require BA+12 or higher. BA lane dead-ends at Step 8; advanced steps require graduate work.
Step
BA
BA+12
BA+24
MA
MA+15
MA+30
MA+45
1
$56,253
$56,468
$56,683
$58,836
$59,642
$60,447
$61,253
2
$57,730
$57,946
$58,160
$60,309
$61,116
$61,922
$62,729
3
$59,236
$59,450
$59,665
$61,815
$62,620
$63,427
$64,233
4
$60,739
$60,954
$61,168
$63,318
$64,125
$64,931
$65,736
5
$62,243
$62,458
$62,674
$64,823
$65,629
$66,435
$67,241
6
$63,747
$63,963
$64,178
$66,327
$67,133
$67,939
$68,746
7
$65,253
$65,467
$65,683
$67,832
$68,638
$69,444
$70,250
8
$66,625
$66,973
$67,186
$69,336
$70,143
$70,949
$71,756
9
—
$69,520
$69,734
$71,883
$72,689
$73,496
$74,302
10
—
$72,124
$72,338
$74,487
$75,294
$76,100
$76,906
11
—
$74,989
$75,205
$77,354
$78,160
$78,966
$79,773
12
—
$78,997
$78,997
$81,146
$81,951
$82,758
$83,564
13
—
$83,290
$83,290
$85,439
$86,245
$87,051
$87,858
14
—
$87,589
$87,589
$89,738
$90,544
$91,350
$92,157
15
—
$91,888
$91,888
$94,038
$94,843
$95,648
$96,455
16 ★ (Top)
—
$99,630
$99,630
$101,877
$102,508
$103,140
$103,788
BA Lane Limitation: The BA lane ends at Step 8 ($66,625). Teachers must complete at least 12 graduate credits (BA+12) to advance to Step 9. This effectively locks BA-only teachers out of the top 8 steps, regardless of tenure.
📈 Contract Year Salary Progression (2023–2028)
Contract Year
Step 1 (BA)
Step 1 (MA)
Step 16 (MA+45)
Annual Increase (Step 1)
Notes
2023–24
$55,668
$58,224
$101,753
—
First year (retroactive ratification)
2024–25 ◀
$56,253
$58,836
$103,788
+1.1%
Current year
2025–26
$56,815
$59,424
$105,386
+1.0%
Modest mid-contract increase
2026–27
$57,951
$60,613
$107,652
+2.0%
Improvement in Year 4
2027–28
$59,632
$62,370
$110,613
+2.9%
Best increase in final year
Raise Pattern: At Step 1, early contract years have modest raises (~1%), improving to 2.0–2.9% by the final years (at MA Step 16 the 2024-25 increase was 2.0%, $99,879 → $101,877). Step increases are automatic; COLA adds to that. The 2027-28 final year has the best salary growth.
🏥 Health Insurance & Benefits
🩺 Medical Plans — Two Tiers
PPO Plan (New Employees): in-network deductible $500/person, $1,000/family (out-of-network $1,000/$3,000); OOP max $3,675 single / $7,350 family
Employee share (2024–25): Single $31.90 · Family $85.13 per pay (26/year) — rises to $32.21 / $85.98 for 2025-26 through 2027-28
Traditional Plan: closed to anyone hired after June 30, 2019; 80/20 coinsurance after $250 deductible
Employee share (2024–25): Single $50.99 · Family $133.33 per pay — rises to $51.49 / $134.66 for 2025-26 onward
Medical through EBTEP; FSA (Section 125) available
Source: Appendix B, Items 11–12
💊 Prescription Drug
30-day supply: $5 generic · $10 brand name
90-day supply: $10 generic · $20 brand name
Mail order encouraged with lower copays
Board pays full premium; Section 125 FSA available
🦷 Dental & 👁️ Vision
Dental: Employee Benefit Trust of Eastern Pennsylvania (EBTEP) — maximum $1,500 per person per calendar year, usable for orthodontics
Vision:Vision Benefits of America (VBA) — a separate vendor, not EBTEP
Both cover employee + dependents
Board pays full premiums
Source: Appendix B, Items 13–14
🚨 Health Opt-Out Payment
$0 — no provision for health insurance waiver payment
If you have VA coverage, spouse's insurance, or Medicare: no compensation
Appendix B, Items 11–12 contain no cash-in-lieu or opt-out language at all — unlike Northampton ($4,800/yr) or Bangor ($3,000/yr). East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg and Easton also have none
♿ Disability Insurance
60% of monthly salary, beginning after 30 consecutive work days of absence
Continues to Social Security normal retirement age
Board pays full premium
Strong, but not the longest in the comparison — Northampton's benefit runs to age 70
Source: Appendix B, Item 10
🛡️ Life Insurance
100% of salary (rounded to nearest $1,000)
At Step 1 MA ($58,836): ~$59,000 coverage
At Step 16 M+45 ($103,788): ~$104,000 coverage
Double indemnity for accidental death; dismemberment and conversion provisions included
Board pays full premium
Source: Appendix B, Item 9
📚 Tuition Credit
Up to $3,000 per contract year for pre-approved graduate credits and associated fees (not textbooks)
Pre-approval is at the Superintendent's discretion; a course inside a Master's program is automatically pre-approved
Minimum grade of "B" required
Payback if you leave within 3 years: Year 1 100% · Year 2 75% · Year 3 50%
Source: Appendix B, Item 8
🗓️ Leave, Absences & Time Off
🤒 Sick Leave
10 days/year, cumulative (no limit)
Can use up to 5 days/year for immediate family illness (not cumulative)
Physician certificate required at District's discretion
No sick day waiver/cash-out option; only payout at retirement
Source: Appendix B, Item 2
💰 Sick Day Payout at Retirement
$40/day — below the flat rates at Stroudsburg, Northampton and Easton (see below)
Requires all three: 30+ total years public school service · 10+ of those in Nazareth · 25+ of those in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Chronological age is explicitly not a factor; the choice between this and the final-year's-salary option is the retiring employee's alone
OR: Final year's salary + 1%/yr of service (15+ yrs continuous in Nazareth) — much better option
After 15+ years continuous service in Nazareth (including service through Intermediate Unit #20): District makes a non-elective employer contribution to the Enhanced TSA Retirement Program equal to the final year's scheduled salary + 1% for each year of service to the District, including the final year
Example: 20 years, final salary $100,000 → $120,000 contribution
Must give written notice to the Superintendent by March 1 of the final year (waivable by the Board for illness or urgent family circumstances)
No cash option — payment goes into the TSA on the next payroll after retirement
Late notice: 1% of final salary per year of service or $20,000, whichever is less
Alternative: $40 per unused accumulated sick day (requires 30 total yrs, 10 in Nazareth, 25 in Pennsylvania)
This single provision is the strongest teacher benefit at Nazareth
Source: Appendix A, Item 6 ("Final Year's Salary")
📅 Personal Leave
3 days/year, no reason required
Unused days at year end: either accumulate as sick leave or be surrendered for $100/day — the employee elects. No election = automatic conversion to sick leave
May be taken September 15 – May 31; per-building daily limits apply (7 senior high, 5 middle, 6 intermediate, 3 Shafer, 2 Butz, 2 Lower Nazareth)
No cap on accumulation is stated in the contract
Source: Appendix B, Item 1
⚰️ Bereavement Leave
Up to 3 school days for immediate family (Board may extend at its discretion)
1 day — the day of the funeral — for a near relative
Immediate family = father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, husband, wife, parent-in-law, step-relations, or any near relative residing in the same household
Below peers: Northampton, Easton and East Stroudsburg's top tier each allow up to 5 days. Stroudsburg also allows 3 days — an earlier version of this page said 10, which is Stroudsburg's sick leave allotment, not bereavement
Source: Appendix B, Item 3
⏰ Work Day, Calendar & Workload
📅 School Calendar — More Days
189 total teacher working days
Made up of 180 student days + 2 room-prep days + 1 grading day + 3 six-hour in-service days + other calendar days
Compare: ESASD 184 days, SASD 186 days, Northampton 188 days
Source: Appendix C, Item 2
🕐 School Day
Core day: 7½ consecutive hours, including a 30-minute duty-free lunch
Reporting and leaving times are set by the Superintendent — the contract fixes no "15 minutes before/after" rule
Time after 6:00 p.m. on school days and all weekend time is personal to the employee; the District may not make demands on it
On early closings, staff may leave 15 minutes after pupil dismissal
Source: Appendix C, Item 1
📝 Preparation Time
High school: one block of uninterrupted prep every other student day, half a block on alternating days
Middle school: one period per day
Intermediate/elementary: 40 consecutive minutes during the student day
Prep is part of the normal work day; all other time during the day is at the District's discretion. These minimums apply to full days only
Source: Appendix C, Item 1
💰 After-Hours Meeting Pay
$38/hr for instructional-support and teacher-parent meetings called by the principal after the close of the normal work day, with at least 48 hours' notice
Increases $1/hr per contract year (up to $42/hr by 2027-28)
Members submit a request-for-payment form to the building principal
Note: this rate does not apply to the regular faculty/after-school meetings that count toward the 45 PD hours
Northampton pays more for extra duty: $45.69/hr BA, $50.15/hr MA
Source: Appendix C, Item 1
📊 Required Meetings & the 45-Hour PD Obligation
Every member must complete 45 hours of professional development per year, made up of:
3 six-hour in-service days (18 hrs)
1 electronic District faculty meeting in September, ≤1 hour (1 hr)
8 building faculty meetings, October–May, ≤1 hour each (8 hrs)
6 after-school meetings, ≤1.5 hours each, never on a Friday (9 hrs)
9 hours of District Approved Professional Learning Opportunities, by May 1 (9 hrs)
Meetings must be announced 30 calendar days in advance. Once the 45 hours are complete, no further meetings are required except those that carry additional compensation
Separate from all of the above: 3 open house / parent-teacher conference days
Source: Appendix C, Items 1–2
✅ ⚠️ Strengths & Challenges
✅ STRENGTHS
Retirement Bonus: Final year's salary + 1%/yr of Nazareth service — about 130% of final salary at 30 years. Not ranked against peers: Bethlehem's retiree health, Pen Argyl's severance and Easton's retiree HRA can't be valued without premium-cost data
Long-term Disability: 60% of salary, running to Social Security normal retirement age
After-Hours Meeting Pay: $38–42/hr for principal-called meetings after the work day
Jury Duty: Full pay + keeps all jury pay. Of the contracts checked, only Nazareth's says so explicitly: East Stroudsburg teachers remit jury pay, Wilson SD pays only the difference, Northampton deducts the county fee, and Stroudsburg's contract is silent
Health Insurance Cost: Low employee premium share — $31.90 single / $85.13 family per pay on the PPO (2024-25)
Job Security: Tenure protections and just cause provisions
Tuition: $3,000/yr, with Master's coursework automatically pre-approved
⚠️ CHALLENGES
Starting Salary: MA start of $58,836 is 9th of 11 on the figures shown; Bethlehem (one of the two lower districts) is shown at its 2022-23 schedule. That is a $17,586 gap to Stroudsburg and $12,293 to Parkland
16 Steps: Four years longer than Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg (12) to reach the top; ties Wilson and Pen Argyl
BA Lane Dead-End: BA-only teachers capped at Step 8 (~$66.6K); must get grad credits
No Health Opt-Out: $0 waiver payment (Northampton: $4,800/yr)
Sick Day Payout: $40/day flat rate, below Stroudsburg ($100), Northampton ($90) and Easton ($50, post-2014 hires); the final-salary option is far better
189 Work Days: 5 more days/year than ESASD (184), 3 more than Stroudsburg (186), 1 more than Northampton (188)
Bereavement Leave: 3 days, versus up to 5 at Northampton, Easton and East Stroudsburg
Real Pay Cut 2023-24 to 2027-28: Step 16 MA pay rises 8.7% against compounded inflation of 12.1% (2024-25 to 2027-28), a real change of −3.0% (−$3,030 in 2023-24 dollars). The 2025-28 portion is a projection — it assumes inflation runs as forecast, not a loss already taken
📜 Notable Contract Provisions
📍 About these citations: The Nazareth CBA has no "Article 6.4"-style numbering. It runs General Provisions I–XIII, then numbered items under Appendix A (Salary/EPED), Appendix B (Other Employee Benefits), Appendix C (Hours of Work), Appendix D (Grievance) and Appendix E (EPED point schedule). Earlier versions of this page cited article numbers that do not exist, so a teacher could not have found these clauses in a printed copy. The references below are the real ones. Except where noted, the wording is a paraphrase, not a verbatim quote.
Appendix A, Item 6 — "Final Year's Salary" (retirement TSA contribution): Paraphrase: An employee with at least 15 years of continuous service to the District (including Intermediate Unit #20 service) immediately before the final year receives a non-elective employer contribution to the Enhanced TSA Retirement Program equal to a final year's salary — the scheduled salary for that classification — plus one percent (1%) for each year of service to the District, including the final year, provided written notice of intent to retire is given to the Superintendent on or before March 1 of the final year. There is no cash option. Late notice caps the payment at 1%/year of service or $20,000, whichever is less.
Alternative: $40.00 for each unused accumulated sick day at retirement. Eligibility for that alternative requires 30 total years of public school service, at least 10 in Nazareth, and at least 25 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Age is not a factor, and the choice between the two is the retiring employee's alone.
Appendix B, Items 11–12 — Medical / Cost Containment (no waiver payment):
These items set out the Traditional and PPO plans, premium shares and cost-containment rules. They contain no opt-out, waiver or cash-in-lieu provision of any kind — a teacher who declines coverage receives nothing. This is a structural gap versus Northampton ($4,800/yr) and Bangor ($3,000/yr), though East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg and Easton have no opt-out either.
Appendix C, Item 1 — After-hours meeting pay: Paraphrase: Members must be available after the close of the normal work day for instructional-support and/or teacher-parent meetings called by the principal, provided they are given at least 48 hours' notice. Compensation for those meetings is $38 per hour, increasing $1.00 per year over the contract. Members who complete their 45 hours of professional development before the close of the school year are not required to attend additional meetings other than those carrying additional compensation.
Appendix B, Item 2 — Sick Leave (family use is not cumulative): Verbatim: "Members of the bargaining unit shall be permitted to use up to five (5) of their sick leave days for illness of an immediate family member within one contractual year. Family sick leave is not accumulative from year-to-year." The base entitlement is 10 days per year, and unused days accumulate "from year to year without limitation."
Appendix B, Item 4 — Jury Duty: Verbatim: "The employee shall keep all compensation received for his/her jury duty services. In addition hereto, all employee benefits shall continue throughout any term of jury duty regardless of length of said term." The Board pays the employee's salary while on jury duty and school is in session. This is a genuine double benefit. Of the contracts checked, only Nazareth's explicitly lets the teacher keep all jury pay: East Stroudsburg teachers must pay jury compensation over to the district, Wilson SD pays only the difference between jury pay and salary, Northampton pays salary less the county fee, and Stroudsburg's contract is silent on it.
🎯 How Nazareth Compares
Metric
Nazareth
Stroudsburg
Nazareth's position (out of 11, where computable)
Starting BA Salary
$56,253
$63,382
8th of 11
Starting MA Salary
$58,836
$76,422
9th of 11 on the figures shown; Bethlehem (one of the two lower districts) is shown at its 2022-23 schedule
Max Salary (top lane, top step)
$103,788 (M+45)
$102,907 (PhD/EdD)
#5 at best — behind Parkland Doctorate $112,927, Easton PhD $104,850, Northampton M+45 plus doctorate increment $104,487 and East Stroudsburg Doctorate $103,933
Max Salary (MA lane)
$101,877
$85,547
Highest of the 11 on MA-lane maxima (next: East Stroudsburg $98,255; Bangor at 2023-24, Bethlehem at 2022-23)
Steps to Max
16
12
Not ranked — 4 more steps than Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg
Health Opt-Out Payment
$0
$0
Not ranked — several districts pay none; Northampton pays $4,800/yr
Sick Day Payout Rate
$40
$100
Not ranked — below Stroudsburg ($100), Northampton ($90) and Easton ($50, post-2014 hires)
Life Insurance
100% salary
150%
Not ranked — below Bethlehem (1.75×, 2019-23 contract), Stroudsburg (1.5×) and Easton (1.2×)
Retirement Bonus
Final+1%/yr
$100/day
Not ranked — see note below
⚠️ About this table: the "Regional Average" column shown here previously has been removed, because it averaged figures from different salary lanes and school years. Positions use the site's 11-district figures: 2024-25 for most districts, 2023-24 for Bangor, and 2022-23 for Bethlehem. The retirement bonus is large (about 130% of final salary at 30 years), but whether it beats Bethlehem's retiree health, Pen Argyl's severance or Easton's retiree HRA can't be shown without premium-cost data.
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