MINOOKA – Several items were up for action, with two in executive session, at the Minooka School District 201 board meeting Wednesday.
After executive session, the board approved, 5-1, with board member Doug Martin opposed and board member Curt Jebens absent, a three-year contract with the Minooka Educational Support Professionals Association, which runs from the 2015-16 through the 2017-18 school years.
Superintendent Kris Monn said Thursday the board worked through the language of the agreement to clarify work conditions.
Monn said the compensation package was 4 percent more a year for all three years with a slight increase in the starting rates for the cafeteria workers and teacher aides to make the positions more competitive.
Monn said the total new salary money in year one of the contract is $136,480 – 4.86 percent more than the prior year – with a total of $376,784 over the three-year agreement. Also, a few benefits were adjusted to keep the employee group consistent with other groups in terms of health care coverage.
“We are pleased that the board and the MESP have agreed to this new three-year contract that is fair, competitive and allows us to continue our efforts to collaboratively serve the students of our community. We value the efforts of each of our staff members, and this contract represents out commitment to both our staff and the students they support,” Monn said.
According to the MESP contract, positions under the contract include secretaries, clerical employees, custodians, aides, teacher associates, technology associates, nurses and food service providers who work full time, or more than 37.5 hours a week.
The second action item in executive session was administrative and exempt salary increases. Monn said after market adjustments the overall increase looks to be 2.19 percent more than the district spent on administrative salaries in 2014-15. The increase was approved, 5-1, with Martin opposed.
“Our budget for 2015-16 had assumed salary increases in line with what the board approved last night, so no budget adjustments are necessary,” Monn said. “In fact, we project that we should be well under our budgeted numbers even after we implement these to actions.”
In regular session it was brought to the board’s attention that Minooka Elementary School has reached more than 40 percent in free and reduced lunch students.
Forty percent is a benchmark number for the state of Illinois to require said school to offer a free breakfast program to those children the next school year. However, if the district can prove that doing so would add to the district deficit, it can apply for an exemption. Monn said Wednesday the breakfast would raise the budget for salaries of food service workers and insurance costs, and he questioned the practicality because most of the students on free and reduced lunch are bus riders, who arrive only five to 10 minutes before school starts. The board voted 6-0 to file an exemption, which is not guaranteed.