WEARE — Voters will head to the polls next week with two teacher's contracts on their minds as a special election will determine whether raises are in sight for educators in the Weare and John Stark school districts.

On Tuesday, June 19, the polls will be open at Weare Middle School and Henniker Community School from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weare voters will have two contracts to consider — both the Weare and John Stark proposals — and Henniker voters will weigh in on the Stark contract.

In March, residents rejected the two contracts but approved a special election to reconsider the proposals.

The Weare contract, which called for a $170,011 increase in 2012-2013 and $139,073 increase in 2013-2014, lost by nine votes in March, so administrators and teachers came up with a new proposal.

The new contract, according to school board vice-chair Marjorie Burke, shaves $8,000 off the previous contract by eliminating workshops and reimbursement for education courses. The contract would give teachers modest raises but would also require them to pay a higher co-pay for medical visits in the second year of the contract and would create a committee to come up with a structure for merit-based pay raises.

While teachers in Weare haven't had raises in three years and are now entering their fourth year without a contract, the cost of both health insurance and retirement contributions have increased dramatically, according to the school district.

Health care increases totaled 22.1 percent and retirement contributions rose two percent. On average, according to the contract, the raises the teachers would receive if the contract passes would be about three percent a year.

Voters from Weare and Henniker will be voting on the same contract they rejected in March for the John Stark Regional School District.

The two-year contract, which increases the district's budget by $90,502 the first year and another $79,972 the second year, was not renegotiated, said SAU 24 Business Administrator Kathleen Sargent.

The contract includes raises of about 1.5 to 1.75 percent during each of the next two years and establishes a health savings account plan to help lower the district's health care costs. The contract also limits early retirement to teachers aged 55 to 59.