Jim Thorpe's school board and teachers' union came to a quick agreement on a three-year contract extension this week.

The current contract, which concludes at the end of the next school year, has been stretched from 2018 to 2021."At a time when so many local school districts are having difficulty working through their labor issues, it is nice to be able to say we have labor peace in the Jim Thorpe School District," said board president Michael Principe.Jim Thorpe Area Education Association President Dave Marino was pleased with the negotiation, and said that the entire deal was wrapped up within seven hours over two meetings.A few notable changes to the contract include a small raise in yearly salary increases from 3 percent to about 3.5 percent, an offer of longevity pay to everyone who works in the district for a minimum of 20 years, and a higher deductible, but lower premium share, for health insurance."The increase of the deductible is covered by the decrease in the premium share," Marino said. "So it actually costs less than the insurance we had under the previous agreement."Marino said there were a few other incidental changes in language, including alterations in retirement incentives and benefits.Principe said that the perception of the school system as a family set the stage for productive negotiations."As such, despite the fact both the teachers union and school district had very clear needs that had to be addressed - salaries, healthcare, retirement, etc. - everyone involved kept their focus on "we," rather than "you vs. me" in the negotiations," Principe said.Marino agreed, and said that negotiating without lawyers allowed for better communication between the board and the union.The successful agreement appears to be somewhat of an anomaly, with Palmerton going on strike in January and Panther Valley announcing intent to strike in spring."Our board, I can't thank them or commend them enough for coming to the table with what amounts to a new philosophy for the area," Marino said.Taking care of the contract more than a year ahead of time has allowed the district and union to renew their focus on education."The result of this agreement means the Jim Thorpe Area School District can continue to focus on providing the children in our community with a quality education," Principe said."It worked out very well," Marino said. "I'm just really happy to be part of the Jim Thorpe Area School District."