MANCHESTER — A provision in a tentative agreement turned down by members of the Manchester Education Association may affect city contracts with other unions and how they fund the New Hampshire Retirement System.

Although the MEA provision is basically moot because the teachers voted down the tentative agreement, it did lead to a legal ruling from the state Retirement System noting retirees are not permitted to cover their own contribution to the state retirement fund as well as the employers' share.

Just how much the law affects current contracts is uncertain because the NHRS only learned of similar stipulations through the Union Leader's coverage of the teachers' union vote in Thursday's editions, NHRS spokesman Marty Karlon said.

“Now that we're aware through the teachers union negotiations, a dialogue has been opened” with the city, Karlon said. “We will try to work with them to sort this out.”

Mayor Ted Gatsas said the city will review the contracts and expects any violations with NHRS guidelines should be easily resolved.

“We're still talking with the retirement board to make sure we all have a common understanding,” Gatsas said.

Gatsas said Thursday that similar wording in a pending deal with Manchester's principals union had already been corrected.

Arthur Beaudry, a member of the school board, motioned that the district check with NHRS about the legality of the early-retirement provision.

The provision in the rejected teachers contract proposal called for retirees to pay both their own portion as well as the school district portion.

NHRS attorney Tim Crutchfield told Manchester superintendent Thomas Brennan that the provision would violate state law.

Brennan passed that along to the School Board on Wednesday, the same day the MEA votes were tallied and the tentative agreement was voted down by a wide margin. That left the ruling meaningless in regard to the failed negotiations with teachers, but the law — RSA 100-A — could still affect early-retirement clauses in contracts with police, fire and other departments.

“RSA 100-A has undergone intense legislative scrutiny and the legislature has not changed the requirement that member and employer contributions be paid by separate entities,” according to the written ruling NHRS sent the School Board.

— NHRS spokesman Marty Karlon is also a part-time copy editor at the New Hampshire Union Leader.