By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
The South-Western City Schools District Board of Education voted to enter into a new contract last month with the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) Local 211.
Under the terms of the contract, OAPSE employees will receive a cost of living wage increase of 2.25 percent for each year of the contract, which will expire June 20, 2020. Additionally, the contract stipulates that all bargaining unit members would be provided with year-round pay to be consistent with other employee groups.
Board president Cathy Johnson called the agreement fair to all parties.
“This agreement is fair to all and includes some positive changes for the district as a whole,” she said. “We appreciate our employees’ willingness to work with us to continue to offer the educational programming our students deserve.”
According to the district, there are approximately 900 classified support personnel who hold membership with OAPSE. Their positions range from school office employees to mechanics, to cooks and interpreters and from aides to bus drivers.
The board also approved salary increases for non-OAPSE employees at the April 10 meeting.
According to communications director Sandra Nekoloff, the district employs 71 non-OAPSE staff members who hold the positions of monitors and sweepers and positions at the recreation center. There are also a few confidential positions within the non-OAPSE staff.
As with the OAPSE members, the non-OAPSE staff will receive a salary increase of 2.25 percent each year until July, 1, 2019.
