Keeping health benefit costs in check while attracting educated teachers to the classroom were among the factors affecting school contract negotiations this year.

That was the word from members of the Goffstown School Board at the budget committee public hearing on school district warrant articles Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Less than one hour after ratifying a contract with members of the district’s support staff union, members of the school board appeared before the budget committee and the public to discuss the upcoming year’s warrant articles.

Four articles appeared on the draft warrant presented at the hearing. Those articles include $300,000 to be added to the Bartlett Elementary School Facilities Capital Reserve Fund, two separate articles for school support staff and teachers’ contracts and an operating budget of $33,257,417, as recommended by the budget committee.

The proposed budget will account for a reduction in the school portion of the tax rate between 8 cents and $1.48, depended on additional state funding, according to budget committee figures.

The budget committee’s recommended funding reflects $116,891 in reductions from the school board’s recommended budget.

If the proposed operating budget fails, the default budget is $33,094,921.

Neither the budget committee nor the school board’s budget includes funding for the teachers or support staff contracts.

Members of the school board and the teachers union reached agreement on the teachers’ contract on Monday, Jan. 8. During the budget hearing, school officials and members of the public spoke of the need to strike a balance between competitive salary and benefits while still protecting the bottom line.

The new contract, which covers 248 teachers, reflects a 2.25 percent increase in teachers’ base pay, said school board member Scott Gross. The contract reflects a $671,670 increase in overall teachers’ salary and benefits during the 2007-08 school year.

The new contract also looks to soften the district’s health benefit expenses, Gross said. In trying to stabilize health care costs, the new contract includes incentives aimed at reducing or eliminating the number of employees enrolled in the district’s most costly health insurance plan, Gross said.

A new feature in the health care plan allows employees to choose among plans based on their own needs and pay the difference between a fixed amount paid by the district and the cost of their own plan, said school board member Philip Pancoast.

The new contracts also address the issue of attracting more candidates with master’s degrees into the classroom. While Gross said contracts currently offer no great incentives for teachers with post-bachelor’s education, future contracts will encourage teachers to pursue such education.

According to the Superintendent of Schools’ office, the new contract seeks to eliminate of top steps on the salary schedule, which gradually requires staff with more than 14 years of experience to acquire additional credits beyond a bachelor’s degree.

Resident Collis Adams said the contract discussions showed the need to offset wages with benefits.

“If you want your benefits, you have to give up salary increases,” Adams said.

All items on the school district warrant must achieve a majority vote on March 13 in order to take effect. Voters can weigh in or offer changes on the articles at the deliberative session of the School District Meeting Monday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at Goffstown High School.