Board rejects two aide hires, approves broader HR slate and later appoints an aide after executive session

The Washington Township board voted on a slate of human‑resources items that included hires, retirements and salary steps. During the roll call on the grouped human‑resources motion trustees recorded several 'no' votes and abstentions; the board president announced that motions for items 49 and 50 "do not carry," meaning those two listed hires failed to obtain approval that night.

Board members explained dissent in public comments: some trustees said they objected to starting salaries that appeared to exceed the district’s pay‑step expectations for similar positions. Union representatives suggested the agenda descriptions for those line items may have contained errors (for example, whether a listing was for "special education instructional assistant" versus a different step classification), and said corrections could address perceived inequities.

Later, after the board moved into executive session to discuss personnel matters, it returned and by roll call approved the appointment of April Bledowski as a special education instructional assistant at Bunker Hill Middle School. The appointment was recorded as a 5.5‑hour per day position, $20 per hour, effective 08/27/2025, pending completion of new‑hire paperwork.

The board’s handling of the two failed agenda items prompted public requests for clearer agenda language and earlier sharing of pay schedules and step placements to avoid confusion at the time of voting.

What’s next: trustees asked administration to correct or clarify personnel agenda entries and to supply the board with the salary‑step guides that govern starting rates.