The Board of Trustees for the Clearview Public Schools successfully completed discussions with support staff this week for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years.
Along with teachers, support staff play a vital role in the education of students.
Support staff includes learning assistants, custodians, secretaries, family school liaison workers, librarians, technology system technicians, mechanics, bus drivers and maintenance workers.
Over the past months, the focus of the discussions with the support staff groups was to create fairness and equity for all employees, and a solid concentration this year on increasing access to benefits for staff.
All support staff saw improvements to their agreements which primarily included a two per cent increase in salaries effective Sept., 1, 2015. Staff also saw an improvement in benefits for school-based support staff (such as Learning Assistants and Secretaries), with approximately 20 per cent more staff now qualifying for benefits.
Clearview staff’s benefit plan includes extended health, dental, vision, and a local government pension plan.
During 2014-15, the Board of Trustees established as one of the Clearview priorities to “Hire and inspire qualify staff”, which was a guideline in the review for improved access to benefits for support staff.
“The staff committees and board committee worked together towards improvements for both staff and Clearview,” shared Board Chair Cheri Neitz.
“These improvements will help us to continue to attract and keep our great staff, and ensure our students have the best supports for learning.”
Increases in total compensation (salary and benefits) for support staff is estimated to be at least 5.2 per cent, primarily from more staff accessing benefits. The agreement with staff will be for a two-year period.
“The updated compensation agreements continue to respect our staff and I am really thankful the Board supported for more staff to access benefits,” says Superintendent Peter Barron.
“Staff felt they were really heard during the discussions, and these improvements will be significant for those staff that do great work for students and learning, but in the past were unable to have health benefits for themselves or their families.”
