Averting a strike, the United South Central School District teachers’ union settled a contract with the district late Friday.

&uot;We ratified the contract last night, but not by an overwhelming margin,&uot; Karen Robbins, president of the teachers union, said Saturday. &uot;I think what happened is that it was either accept this contract or the reality was that we were going to have to strike.&uot;

&uot;We don’t think this is a good contract, but I think it shows that we really care about our students and are really dedicated to our jobs,&uot; she added.

District Superintendent Frank Lorentz said, &uot;I’m glad that we are finally able to put it behind us and focus back on the school and education. Now we can get back to business and put the kids first.&uot;

The contract will give teachers a $60,000 severance package: $25,000 for a cash severance and $35,000 for health-benefits severance. Severance was the central point of disagreement. Another debated topic was eligibility for a 403 (b) savings plan. The district and union settled on a plan which would give workers who aren’t full time more flexibility in the plan.

Teachers had originally asked for $72,000 in severance benefits. On Wednesday, they came down to $66,000 when a state mediator stepped in to negotiate. Finally, on Friday they accepted the board’s $60,000 offer.

&uot;The district refused to budge on that issue,&uot; Robbins said. According to Robbins, the settlement on that issue was not easy. &uot;I can’t feel happy about it because I know that there are several of my members that are taking huge dollar-figure losses on this. These are the people who are retiring this year and next year who will have to put up with less than they were expecting.&uot;

Contract negotiations had been going since mid-summer. The union had at one point authorized a strike, and union representatives had many times said that a strike would probably not be averted.

Lorentz said he hopes that by settling, any hard feelings will be left behind. &uot;If the union ratified it by a majority, I’m confident in the professionalism of the union to put it behind them and focus on education,&uot; he said.

But the district and the union may soon be back at it, because the contract that was settled will only last through the end of this school year.

&uot;My guess is that we’ll start negotiating the next contract shortly after the first of next year,&uot; Robbins said. &uot;We’re a quarter of the way through this year already. We can do this year and turn the page and hope for a better settlement next time.&uot;

Lorentz said he hopes negotiations will be easier in this next year.

&uot;This is tough on everybody &045; teachers, administration, and most importantly, students,&uot; he said. &uot;These long, drawn-out contract negotiations pull the district apart. We need unity in the district, not division.&uot;