CRANSTON — An expected School Committee vote ratifying a new contract with the teachers union was postponed Monday evening when officials learned they had neglected to post the terms of the agreement beforehand.

Chairman Michael A. Traficante announced the delay at the start of the board meeting, saying the board’s lawyer had just told members they had failed to comply with an ordinance requiring the posting 72 hours in advance on the school district’s Web site.

The vote has been rescheduled for next Tuesday, Traficante said. The rank and file of the 970-member Cranston Teachers’ Alliance ratified the agreement last week.

There is little doubt it will win board ratification. Members said the contract will save the district $2.2 million over the next three years yet improve the quality of education.

Most of the savings would come from increasing the teachers’ contribution to the cost of their health insurance coverage, under which they would pay more for some prescriptions and medical visits. Also, the new agreement would increase classroom time for teachers.

The teachers, in return, would receive a 1 percent pay increase, at the top step only, in the first year of the contract and 2¼ percent increases at all steps in years two and three, in addition to annual step raises.

They will be also be able to enroll domestic partners on their health insurance plans, and they will be able to take home the equivalent of 100 percent of their pay when out of work because of on-the-job injuries, by supplementing the 60 percent the district pays with unused sick time.

“It certainly is going to enhance education in the long run. It’s certainly going to be a morale booster as well,” Traficante said last night. “And last but most significant, it’s an affordable contract for the taxpayers of Cranston.”

The biggest savings — $5.4 million over three years — comes from the higher contributions for health insurance. Schedule changes, including those giving department chairs and program supervisors more classroom time, save $1.8 million, while schedule changes that allow more common planning time save $1.4 million and health plan changes — joining a regional health care consortium and charging employees more for some prescriptions and some medical visits saves $1.2 million, according to a fiscal analysis released by the district. Those savings are offset by pay increases, automatic step increases, rising pension costs and rising costs in other areas, leaving a projected net savings over three years of $2.2 million, according to the analysis.

The settlement comes at a good time, as next year’s $126.5-million school budget assumes $1.2-million in union concessions, Traficante said.

The new contract, officials said last night, saves about $1 million next year, getting the district most of the way there, but Traficante said the district still faces other fiscal challenges, including lower-than-expected savings on pension costs next year because of changes at the state level.

As a result, he said, the school board is also looking for concessions as it negotiates with unions representing secretaries, teacher aides and technical assistants.

redgar@projo.com