By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
ROCK CREEK — Contract negotiations with employees of the Jefferson Area Local Schools District were settled at the school board meeting Tuesday night at Rock Creek Elementary School, Superintendent Doug Hladek said.
The Board of Education approved contracts with both the Jefferson Area Teachers Association and Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Local 419.
JATA settled language, benefits and salary for a two-year contract from July 1 to June 30, 2011. For the first time, JATA agreed to the concession that all members will contribute toward monthly premiums for health benefits, $20 per month for individual coverage and $40 per month for family coverage. The agreement with JATA also includes a 2 percent increase on base salaries, which equates to about a 1.3 percent increase after paying health-insurance premiums.
OAPSE Local 419 negotiations were for a one-year wage reopener. The OAPSE agreement amounts to an 18-cents-per-hour increase from July 1, 2009, until the contract expires on June 30, 2010.
In other business, the board approved a $270 donation to the Class of 2011 from the J-Hi-Life, the school’s student newspaper. The J-Hi-Life is going digital and will only be online.
