Jim Thorpe’s custodians will receive a pay increase under a new contract.

District officials hope that the increased pay will help them attract more applicants.

“Hopefully we’ll get a larger pool (of applicants),” said Ken Marx, business manager for Jim Thorpe Area School District.

On Wednesday, school board members approved a three-year contract with employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The contract is effective July 1 and runs through June 30, 2025.

Under the contract, employees will receive a $0.55 raise in hourly pay this year, and a $0.75 annual raise the following two years.

The minimum hourly wage will increase to $13 from $11 this year, and max out at $14 in the final year of the contract.

Full-time employees represented by the union will pay a larger share of their health care cost.

Board member Glenn Confer voted against the new contract. He said that the minimum hourly wage should be at least $15.

“People work at fast food restaurants and make more than that,” he said.

In addition to custodians, the unit includes four cafeteria workers who are employed by the district. The rest of the district cafeteria staff works for its food service provider, The Nutrition Group.