District and MCEA outline salary schedule, loyalty bonus and insurance changes; contracts to be issued July with September true-up
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Negotiators reviewed a salary schedule tied to state placement, a loyalty bonus contingent on funds, and a change in insurance enrollment method that negotiators said reduces district costs; initial contracts will be issued July 1 and updated in September after state reports.
Negotiators reviewed the draft salary schedule and insurance funding approach included in the collective bargaining draft and discussed the timeline for issuing contracts.
Daryl, a district staff member involved in benefits and payroll, presented the salary and insurance details and the rollout plan. He said the draft uses the state's salary schedule and includes a loyalty bonus for certified staff with 30 or more years of service: "$1,750 with the caveat of only if funds are available, and that that will be determined in May." Daryl noted the loyalty bonus language would be included at the bottom of the salary schedule for transparency.
On insurance, negotiators discussed switching enrollment from a selective-enrollment method to an "enrollment for all" method. Daryl said the change "allows us to cut off about, $3,350,000," a savings that was factored into negotiation figures. Under the proposed plan, the district would fund $1,148.76 per month for an individual medical plan while an employee's portion would be $70.74 per month under one option; a second option would have the district pay $1,107.10 per month and contribute $41.66 to a health savings account. The dental premium for the district plan was listed as $12.08 for employees and vision coverage would be provided at no cost to employees.
Daryl also explained contract timing. He said evaluations must be submitted to the state by June 30, and while contracts are due by July 1, the state does not finalize movement (career-ladder or step placement) until about September. "You'll get the initial contract because contracts have to be out July 1, and then we'll do the updated contract for any additional movement that needs to be, given to true up," Daryl said.
Negotiators said the district would issue initial contracts reflecting moves already known from prior evaluations and then reissue amended contracts in September to reflect state-verified movement for the current year.
Participants asked clarifying questions about employee premium calculations and whether dental and other premiums are additive; negotiators clarified employee premiums would include medical plus any dental premiums the employee chooses to enroll in.