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Board approves three GMLEA memoranda, agrees to new retiree‑rehire placement policy
Summary
The board approved three memoranda of understanding with the Groveport Madison Local Education Association: a mentoring MOU, a Data Science Foundations course MOU, and a revised retiree‑rehire salary placement provision (Article 25) that changes placement for district retirees returning to work.
The Groveport Madison Board of Education approved three separate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Groveport Madison Local Education Association during Tuesday’s meeting: a mentoring MOU, a Data Science Foundations course MOU, and an amendment to Article 25 covering placement on the salary schedule for retiree rehiring.
The mentoring and Data Science Foundations MOUs passed unanimously. The Data Science Foundations MOU was described as a state‑approved math option that can satisfy Algebra II credit and requires two years of teacher commitment and state‑required training. District staff said the course offers an alternative to the traditional algebra‑2‑precalculus sequence.
The third item, Article 25, changes how the district places re‑hired retirees on the salary schedule. Under the approved language, district retirees rehired by Groveport may be placed higher than the prior contract minimum; the new provision allows rehired retirees to start at step 10 and to advance up to a maximum of step 15 over subsequent years (effectively allowing additional annual step advances that were not permitted under the previous step‑5 cap). The measure passed on a recorded vote with a minority dissent: the vote was recorded as aye from John Kirschner, Libby Grama, (and others) and a ‘‘no’’ from Kathleen Walsh and at least one other board member who asked for more financial modeling before the change. The superintendent and treasurer explained the change was intended to equalize treatment for the district’s own retirees who return and to keep rehired retirees’ placement aligned with outside candidates; the treasurer estimated one immediate rehire could save the district roughly $35,000 per year compared with that person remaining on a top schedule step.
Board discussion focused on the fiscal effect, equity for district retirees versus teachers from outside districts, and the mechanics of the salary schedule change. Board member Walsh requested separate votes on the three items to allow time for review; the board agreed and took the items individually.
What happens next: The MOUs are effective as approved by the board and will be applied per their terms; the treasurer said administration will provide more detailed financial modeling if the board requests it.
