Huntley District 158 support staff gets new contract, but board disagrees on how to fund raises

Students leave Marlowe Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. The Huntley Community District 158 board at its Sept. 21 meeting voiced concerns about the Secretary of State’s library grant program.

The Huntley School District 158 board has approved a new contract with the Huntley Education Support Staff Association, though it passed along slate lines.

The board approved the contract with its support staff union in a 5-2 vote on July 17. Five board members who were elected or reelected in April – with the backing of the teachers union and a grassroots group that was dissatisfied with the school board’s direction – voted for the contract. Two board members who were elected on a slate in 2023 that emphasized lowering property taxes, among other things, voted against the contract.

Paul Troy, who was selected as board president last spring after the election, said in a district news release: “This contract reflects a mutual commitment to supporting our students and staff, and we’re pleased to have it in place as we begin a new school year together.”

Board member Andy Bittman, who was president before he was replaced by Troy, tried to amend the contract before the vote so it was tied to a budget adjustment. Bittman wanted to shift $385,000 from other expense categories to the salaries and benefits category of the budget.

“Then we can say to our taxpayers they are not paying for it. We are sacrificing in other areas” in order to fund the contract, Bittman said. He also said his amendment would not change the budget in terms of total expenses.

“I think it’s a poor look to put this contract in place and then just pass it along to the taxpayers,” Bittman said.

District Chief Financial Officer Mark Altmayer was asked to weigh in. He said officials could find the $385,000 Bittman asked for elsewhere in the budget, but it could mean, for instance, not being able to fund small projects at the building level. The move would have “unintended consequences, for sure,” Altmayer said.

Altmayer said not wanting to pass along the salary increase to taxpayers was “smoke and mirrors,” adding most of the district’s expenses are passed along to the taxpayers.

Bittman, who was elected on a slate alongside board member Laura Murray in 2023, campaigned on lowering taxes. But in December 2023, after taking office, Bittman and Murray were part of a board that unanimously voted to approve a contract with the teachers union and to take the maximum property tax levy increase of 5% that year. Both acknowledged at the time they had supported lower taxes but also wanted to prioritize paying teachers.

Murray voted alongside Bittman on the amendment last week, and the rest of the board voted down the amendment.

On the final contract, board members Melissa Maiorino, Andrew Fekete, Sean Cratty Rich Bobby and Troy were in favor, and Bittman and Murray voted no.

“Our support staff play a vital role helping us create a safe, supportive and personalized learning environment for our students,” Superintendent Jessica Lombard said in the release. “This agreement reflects our shared commitment to collaboration and the success of our entire school community.”

Some of the staff members covered by the union include bus drivers, mechanics, maintenance workers, secretaries, paraprofessionals, cooks and nurses.

According to the contract, base compensation for staff for the upcoming school year will range from $16.28 per hour for student assistants, bus aides, midday supervisors and cooks to $30.45 per hour for nurses.

Current employees will get a 6% raise to their hourly rates, according to the contract. Base rates will go up 5%.

In the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, returning employees will get a raise tied to the property tax cap law, but with a 3% floor and 5% ceiling. The raises were higher in the previous contract, with employees getting at least 8% in the 2022-23 school year plus longevity and stipend pay, 5% in 2023-24 and 4.25% in 2024-25.

Base salaries will increase by 0.5% less than what current employees get.

Employees with five years of service will get a 75-cent per hour raise, while those with 10 years will get $1.30 more per hour and those with 15 years will get $1.90. Employees who have 20 years’ seniority will get an additional $2.55 per hour. Those raises are higher than the previous contract; they were 50 cents, $1.05, $1.60 and $2.10 under the old contract.

Other changes involve removing a clause about the district being able to subcontract for transportation services in some cases. The new contract says the district and the union will meet to negotiate terms and conditions if there’s an “extreme shortage of staff in currently recognized positions.”

Pay will be retroactive to July 1, and the contract is in place until June 30, 2028.

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