School Board ratifies contracts with VBASA, Food Service workers

The Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education ratified two union contracts with employees at its regular meeting May 28.
Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun explained the Van Buren Administrators and Supervisors Association (VBASA) had a contract that expired in December and a tentative contract between the union and the school district was signed May 20. The new contract runs from July 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019.
The contract states, under BENEFITS: “The Health Care Insurance provided shall have coverage defined by the Priority HMO Plan $10/$40 co-pay prescription drug rider, with contraceptives and mail order prescription drug program, $20 co-pay for office visits, and $50 co-pay for emergency room visits.”
He said if 10 members of VBASA sign up for the district’s new self-insurance medical plan in the works it will save the district $16,704 each and more than $4,000 for each employee.
The contract agreement states as a change: “The Board of Education shall make available an accident and sickness benefit policy which will pay up to 70% of salary to a maximum of $5,500 per month to each member of the bargaining unit. The insurance carrier is to be selected by the Board. Terms and conditions of the insurance policy shall govern as to all conditions of eligibility for benefits. During the period of this contract there shall be no alterations in terms and/or conditions of this policy which would reduce the level of benefits.”
He also said they are working on a new salary scale for Owen Intermediate School. Director Madyun said the Owen employees have been in a gray area, not being in the elementary category nor the middle school category.
As to Food Service workers, Madyun said they have a healthy amount of fund balance in their budget and their contract expires June 30.
He said if seven members take the new insurance, it will save the district $14,700 each and more than $3,000 individually.
The contract includes the group agreeing to move to the self-insurance medical plan.
Madyun also said the new contract grants Food Service employees raises of $1 an hour and also addresses their pay when school is cancelled.
With the new contract, “Now they can use sick days when there is a waiver,” he said, up to the amount of days that the state forgives for the remaining days. He added the hourly workers were actually losing money on the days school was cancelled.
Employees who are categorized as working 30 hours a week shall be considered regular employees eligible for insurance. Those regularly scheduled to work 30 hours or more who voluntarily elect not to participate in or discontinue employee-paid health insurance shall be paid $2,000 cash in lieu.
Also, employees will be allowed to donate sick hours to other union members.
A change in wording makes Easter Break into Spring Break. In a year that Spring Break is five days long, members will receive Martin Luther King Day as a paid day off.
He said the new Food Service contract is for two years: July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021.
In other business at the May 28 meeting, the board:
• Accepted the resignation of LaToya Tingle as of June 14 to continue her education. She had served as a teacher in the Haggerty School ECDC for less than a year;
• Heard building presentations by principals and teachers from Savage and Tyler elementary schools. School Supt. Pete Kudlak had asked the principals to present to the school board a recap on how their plans for school improvement worked out this school year, with a glimpse into next year’s School Improvement Plan;
• Approved the property closing on the sale of the district’s property at 2060 Mary Catherine St. in West Willow, Ypsilanti for $48,000, as presented by Supt. Kudlak;
• Approved appointing board vice president Susan Featheringill as board designate to vote in the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) board election on June 3, with Trustee Darlene Loyer Gerick as alternate. There are two candidates running for two positions;
• Heard the first reading of proposed updating of board policies presented by Trustee Calvin Hawkins. They included use of medications, anti harassment, criminal conduct, sexual violations, cooperation with law enforcement, and calendar. These will be brought up at a future meeting for the second reading and approval;
• Approved the second reading and final approval of board policy updates that were presented at the May 13 meeting. This was presented by Trustee Amy Pearce;
• Approved a Thrun Law Firm Conflicts of Interests Waiver / Consent Recommendation. Supt. Kudlak explained that Van Buren is talking about joining the Washtenaw Educational Options Consortium (WEOC) group to take part in several programs for students, including the Early College Alliance. Thrun, the board’s new law firm, represents all of the groups involved except Ann Arbor and so there is a conflict, “but not an issue,” and all the other members of the group have signed the waiver;
• Heard Madyun say they are having open enrollment for the district’s new insurance program by internet now;
• Heard Curriculum Director Jeff Moore say 24 students from Rawsonville and Tyler elementaries will be taking part in two weeks of summer school in partnership with the University of Michigan. June 5 is the orientation night for the U of M program, which will help the students learn and help the training of new teachers;
• Heard Director Moore add that he will give board members results of the recent survey done that shows vaping concerns at the high school. “It’s worse than marijuana,” said board president Keith Johnston;
• Heard Supt. Kudlak say cancelling the July 15 board meeting had been an option and he will announce the cancellation, if needed, at the next meeting. He also said he attended the Mayors’ Ball to earn money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Belleville and Romulus. Johnston said $40,000 was raised. Kudlak also said the MSTEP scores have come in and they are still embargoed, but he can say they are looking good;
• Heard Gerick say she and her daughter picked up seven benches that have been made with the plastic caps she has been collecting. Gerick said she learned how the benches are made. They grind up the caps, spin them around which makes them stick together, then they are colored and put in molds. They pop out when they dry out and shrink. She said they are still collecting plastic caps as part of her daughter’s Girl Scout project and they need volunteers for sorting;
• Approved the minutes that reported at the end of the May 13 meeting a closed-door session was held and then the board voted to reinstate, with conditions, student 17-18-016 who had been disciplined; and
• Went into closed-door session to discuss bargaining strategy.