Pleasant Valley School Board approved the new ACT 93 Agreement for school year 2015-16 through school year 2017-18. The contract was approved with a lone no vote by Vice President Steve Borger. The board approved the contract earlier this month and released more details this week.

"While I appreciate the work that was done on both sides on this agreement," Borger said, "I have some issues with some of the language, things that I can't discuss in public, and my vote will reflect that feeling."The previous contract had covered the school terms beginning in 2009 and ending in 2014. An extension was granted to cover the 2014-15 school year.A side-by-side comparison of the two agreements shows only a few changes.The previous contract had incorporated a 3.1 percent yearly salary increase. Under the new agreement, the administrators will receive an automatic 3 percent increase per year for the first two years and a 3.5 percent increase in the final year of the agreement.Under both agreements, ACT 93 employees who are actively seeking or have obtained doctorate degrees receive a salary increase. In the past the increase was implemented in four stages as credits were earned. Under the new contract the total increase of $4,000 is still the same, but it is earned in two stages. The first $2,000 bump is received at 30 credits and the second $2,000 bump is received after the degree is completed.Health insurance is another area that was changed, and is now the same as the corresponding section in the teacher's contract.The major change is found in Section I.5 referring to insurance for retired employees. Under the old agreement, the school district would pay the health insurance for the retired employee if they had 25 years of service to the district until the age of 65. Sabbatical and sick day exchange options could be used to make payments on long-term care insurance.Under the new contract the minimum years of service to the school district was dropped to 10. The school district will then pay the retired employees health insurance for up to 10 years or through 65 years of age, whichever comes first. The contract then applies a formula, taking years of service and sabbatical exchange escrow amounts into consideration to calculate what the district will pay into long-term care and health insurance for employees hired before July 1, 2015.The new contract also adds a new sick leave incentive program. ACT 93 employees who have 10 or more unused sick days in a year will receive a $300 incentive, eight to nine unused day will result in a $225 incentive and six to seven days will earn $140.The new agreement has left the issue of "banking" sick days open for further discussion.Lastly the new agreement adds a final paragraph that states all employees covered under the agreement must be evaluated yearly by the superintendent or her designee.Good newsHigh School Principal John Gress took a few minutes during the meeting Thursday night to express his gratitude toward the district and his pride in the recent graduation class."I have for each of you," he told the board, "a list of all the names of the graduates and the awards that they received. I have to say again, the Class of 2015 in total received scholarships in the amount of $4.5 million, which is more than any previous year."District Superintendent Carol Geary also expressed her thanks to all of the board members who took the time to attend the graduation and to thank everyone involved in making it a wonderful event.