Board approves personnel placement schedules, classified wage increases and employee benefits changes

The Chino Valley Unified School District Governing Board on March approved multiple personnel actions: a placement schedule for a newly full-time athletic director at the high school, classified wage increases including an additional $1.00 per hour for staff who drive buses with children aboard, certified contract renewals that include a one-time and permanent disbursement from classroom site funds, administrative and director salary adjustments, and a revised employee benefits plan to address rising health-insurance premiums.

On athletics staffing, district staff said the full-time Chino Valley High School athletic director position is a 12-month role and recommended a placement schedule that mirrors the middle-school assistant-principal placement. The district said roughly 30 applicants had applied and the selection committee would interview three candidates on March 27; the board approved the placement schedule so hiring can proceed.

On wages and contracts, the board approved a classified salary increase composed of a $0.50 hourly raise plus 1% overall, with a $1.00 hourly increase specifically for personnel certified to drive school buses with children. Staff reported the district impact for the classified raise and driver bump and explained the driver increase was intended to keep local pay competitive with neighboring districts. The board also approved certified staff contract renewals for the 2025–26 year that include a $2,500 per-eligible-employee disbursement from Classroom Site Fund (M&O/CSF split detailed in materials), with $1,500 permanent and $1,000 one-time components, and approved administrative and director contracts that include a 3.5% increase.

On benefits, staff described major increases in health-insurance premiums nationally and said the district’s three-year rolling loss ratio had driven a significant rate increase from the current provider. To manage cost and preserve capacity for employee compensation increases, the district proposed making a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with a $5,000 deductible the district’s basic plan for employees who take district coverage, while contributing $1,250 per participating employee to their health savings account (HSA). The district also proposed wellness incentives that allow employees to earn up to $500 more in HSA contributions by completing approved preventive activities. Staff said the district and broker solicited other carriers; Aetna bid with fewer local providers and was not recommended, and one potential bidder declined due to the district’s claims history. The board approved the employee benefits plan as presented.

All personnel and benefits items were approved by the board in voice votes recorded in the meeting minutes; the transcript records “All in favor? Aye.”