The Pleasant Valley School Board approved the support staff contract Thursday night during a special meeting. The meeting was originally scheduled in order to approve the 2022-23 budget.

The new contract term is for five years from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026. It is retroactive to the end of the prior contract, which ended on June 30, 2021, but the terms of that contract were continued during negotiations.

James Serfass, the president of the Pleasant Valley Education Support Professional Association, thanked the negotiation teams from both the school district and PVESPA for their commitment to reach an agreement on the contract.

“We believe it is a fair and affordable contract and all support staff, no matter their role, look forward to working for the betterment of the students of the district,” he said.

According to the contract, wages were frozen for the 2021-2022 school year. Salary increases will resume in the 2022-2023 school year with employees in steps 1 to 12 receiving increase based on a 12-step salary schedule.

Employees beyond the 12 steps will receive a 3.5% increase in pay every year for the length of the contract ending in 2026. The prior contract included a salary schedule, but did not allow for any step increases for the length of the agreement.

There were no changes to the number of days for time off. The employees continue to get 11 holidays, 10 vacation days that increase to 15 days at six years of service and 20 days at 10 years, as well as 12 sick days per year and two personal days for full-time workers and one personal day for part-time workers.

There were changes to the in-network deductible for health care benefits.

The deductible for a single person had been $200. It will increase to $600 on Jan. 1, 2023, $700 on Jan. 1, 2024, and $725 on Jan. 1, 2025. The deductible for a family was $400 and will increase to $1,200 in 2023; $1,400 in 2024; and $1,450 in 2025.

The deductible for out-of-network care has not changed. It remains at $1,000 for a single person and $2,000 for a family.

There are also increases in the amount support staff employees will have to contribute toward their health care coverage per month.

In the previous contract, they were asked to contribute $10 per month with no distinction in family size. Now, the contributions are broken down differently:

• Single person: $15 per month beginning on July 1, 2022; $20 on July 1, 2023; and $30 on July 1, 2025;

• Employee and spouse: $30 per month in 2022; then $40 in 2023; and $55 in 2025;

• Parent and child: $25 per month in 2022; then $35 in 2023; and $50 in 2025;

• Parent and children: $35 per month in 2022; then $40 in 2023; and $55 in 2025, and;

• Family: $40 per month in 2022; then $55 in 2023; and $70 in 2025.

There is a slight decrease in the amount an employee has to pay per month to add a spouse to the district’s health care coverage when the spouse could get coverage through his or her employer. That has dropped from $37.50 to $30 per month.

Spouses who do not have health care coverage from another employer can be covered by the school district for no extra cost, which is the same as the prior contract.

Medical visit copays did not change either, nor did the items covered completely for dental care. Vision care was added to the new contract.

Prescription drug copays changed slightly. In the prior contract, employees were required to pay a minimum of $10 and a maximum of $30 for retail medication with mandatory generic, Step Therapy and quantity limits. Mail order was not required.

The new contract breaks it down differently:

• Generic: $20 for retail (30 day supply) or $40 for mail order (90 day supply);

• Brand preferred: $40 for retail, $80 for mail order, and;

• Brand nonpreferred: $80 for retail, $120 for mail order.

Superintendent James Konrad said in an interview after the meeting, “I’m extremely happy that our teams - being the board negotiation team and the support staff negotiation team - really worked through a process to have a fair and equitable contract that really honors our employees.”

PVESPA member Desiree Murray told the school board directors that she doesn’t want the next contract negotiations to lapse again. She would like for negotiations to start two years before the end of the contract.

“I believe in the process. I think support staff members are finding their place in this new world,” Murray said. “As we move forward, I think we have a little step in the door, and I want to build on that. I actually want to start today to make sure that support staff are valued, and on an equal playing field with the rest of the staff in Pleasant Valley.”

Although the superintendent is not part of the contract negotiations, Konrad said he is in support of negotiating early.

“Let’s start the conversations before they expire. We don’t want to have a lapse again. This board is committed,” he said.

Konrad continued, “It’s really nice to see these things come to fruition, that there is longevity, that we’re honoring the hard work of employees, and that we’re being fiscally responsible. As (school board President) Sue Kresge said, they’ve been very patient.”