Van Buren school bus drivers get raises in newly ratified contract

It took two special meetings, but the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education finally ratified the one-year agreement between the district and the Van Buren Educational Support Team (VBEST).
The union and administration came to a tentative agreement on June 27 to allow a $1.25 raise in starting pay for new bus drivers and $1 for all other bus drivers, and continuation of the current health insurance for VBEST members, with the agreement to pursue other options as they become available.
The contract will be reopened for these negotiations prior to Sept. 30.
It was important to get the one-year contract ratified by July 1, the beginning of the contract term, said School Board President Brent Mikulski, who set one special board meeting on June 30, and when that didn’t work out, set another on the next day, July 1.
At a 4 p.m. meeting on June 30 members of the VBEST union voted for the contract with an “overwhelming majority,” according to James Williams, director of buildings and grounds.
At 7 p.m. that same day, President Mikulski called the special school board meeting to order with three other members present: Trustees Sherry Frazier, Kelly Owen, and Kathy Kovach.
Absent were Trustee Allison Bennett, who was with her husband at the hospital where he was having tests; Secretary Kevin English, who was getting married on Saturday and was unavailable; and vice president Martha Toth, whose excused absence was not explained.
Mikulski told Frazier she would have to abstain because her son is a member of VBEST and so the vote was 3 yes, 0 no, and 1 abstain.
Trustee Kovach asked if the vote didn’t have to be a majority of the seven-member board, which would be four affirmative votes, and Mikulski said, no, it could be a majority of those present.
The meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m. and as the Independent reporter left the meeting room with former board president David Peer, the only other member of the audience, Peer said he knew from experience that there needed to be four votes to pass the agreement.
A short time later, the Independent was alerted by a phone call from president Mikulski that he had checked the by-laws in the school parking lot and four votes were needed to pass the agreement and there would be another meeting the next day at 6 p.m.
At the July 1 meeting, Mikulski apologized to the board for the previous night’s situation and said he appreciated that they were willing “to be together tonight.”
The same three trustees were present from the night before (Frazier, Owen, Kovach), plus Bennett who had rushed to the meeting from the hospital.
The new vote was 4 yes – 0 no – 1 abstain. The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.
Mikulski said contracts with the food service and secretarial unions are still left to settle.
School Supt. Pete Kudlak attended both meetings. The second meeting, on July 1 marked his first day on the job as new superintendent of the Van Buren Public Schools.
He said by getting the contract ratified on July 1, it saves the union members money because of health care payments and the law that says workers don’t get retroactive pay for raises.
At the June 30 meeting, Trustee Frazier said she was glad they have an agreement with VBEST and, “Glad we’re able to increase pay for transportation workers.”
“So we can be competitive,” Trustee Kovach added.
In side discussions before the meeting, Supt. Kudlak was told about the transportation director that left to go to the Huron schools in New Boston and then when she went to work at RESA, her replacement transportation director at Van Buren, left here and also went to Huron.
“We’ve got to keep our people,” Supt. Kudlak stressed.