DIXFIELD – The Western Foothills School District has set the SAD 39 pay scale to match SAD 21’s as the first step toward bringing all bargaining units from member districts together.

Superintendent Tom Ward said the 64 teachers, librarians and guidance counselors who are members of the Buckfield Teachers Association in SAD 39 will be paid by the same schedule as teachers and librarians in the Dirigo Education Association. The benefits paid to SAD 21 employees will remain higher than those at SAD 39 for the year.

The cost to the new district, also known as Regional School Unit 10, will be about $156,000. That anticipated increase has already been included in the $34.1 million budget for 2009-10, which goes to voters on June 4.

The new consolidated district begins operations July 1.

The salary agreement, which was passed unanimously following a 30-minute closed session Tuesday night, will be in effect for the 2009-10 school year. Beginning in September 2009, negotiations among teacher bargaining units in SADs 39, 21 and 43 will begin, eventually bringing all teachers into the same salary and benefit schedule, Ward said.

The schedule will be determined by the economy and the impact on the communities at the time the contract is settled, he said.

Eventually, all bargaining units in the three districts – Rumford, Dixfield and Buckfield schools – will be brought together, including administrators, education technicians, secretaries, bus drivers/custodians and food service workers.