VB School Board OKs $6,000 raise in pay for each school teacher

At the Dec. 6 special meeting of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, the board approved a two-year contract with the teachers’ union that gave each teacher a $6,000 raise in annual pay as of the Jan. 10 paycheck.
Also, all union members will move up one advancement level on Jan. 10 and each cell of the salary schedule will rise by $1,000.
Also, all eligible bargaining unit members shall move up two advancement levels starting with the Jan. 10, 2023 pay. Longevity pay also is increased, homebound teachers will be paid an hourly rate of $33.50 and new hires working toward alternative certification will be reimbursed 100% of the cost.
Other raises are a part of the contract.
Amber Slusher of the Van Buren Education Association said of the 217 members, 201 voted yes on the contract and zero voted no.
She said a vote with no one against a contract has never happened before.
Abdul Madyun, Human Resources Director, who negotiated the contract, said now jobs at VBPS will be much more attractive. He said for example, new teachers were getting $39,000 a year and now that will be $45,000.
He said the certification offer is for those with degrees and no teacher certification. He said the district hires them and then pays them to get their teacher’s certification within a year.
Madyun said the dental and vision plans also have been upgraded.
School Supt. Pete Kudlak said before he came there were severe cuts to teachers’ pay and for the first two years he worked to get them back up.
“We have money coming in and I’m glad we’re able to do this for our staff,” Supt. Kudlak said.
Board vice president Susan Featheringill and treasurer Simone Pinter abstained from the vote on the contract for perceived conflicts of interest because family members work for the district. All other board members voted in favor of the contract.
In other business at the 50-minute special meeting, the board:
• Approved an agreement with the Van Buren Association of Supervisors and Administrators, that was signed Nov. 16 and expires Dec. 31, 2022, that set rates of increased pay for eight employment categories, noting the members currently receiving the $4,000 stipend will continue to receive that stipend as long as the terms of the original agreement are maintained. Two positions are added as members of VBASA: College and Career Readiness Coordinator and Early Childhood Center Principal. Madyun said this will make the positions more competitive;
• Learned the details of an agreement with NBS Commercial Interiors for furniture at Owen Intermediate School not to exceed $430,000. Among all the items, all the teachers will get new desks and storage areas. This was an information presentation by Rob Kakoczki of Plante Moran CRESA and the board will be asked to vote on it at the next meeting. It will be paid for through the general fund or sinking fund;
• Approved a total cost of $291,147 for classroom technology, security cameras and cabling for Owen, ordering it now so it will be ready next summer when work is being done at the school. They have unit pricing from the Early Childhood Development Center and so that vendor is being used; and
• Approved pre-purchase of HVAC equipment for work at Owen, Tyler, and Savage next summer at a cost of $1,320,373 from ThermalNetics as part of the Series 2 Bond 2019 project. Kakoczki said they were notified by the vendors that there is no longer eight or nine weeks of lead time and now it is 28-32 weeks for equipment all across the country. ESSER funds will be used in coordination with the bond. That’s possible because of the ventilators for the classroom. Supt. Kudlak said they were able to enhance the scope of the project because ESSER funds were available.