SIDNEY — Two year extensions for contracts with the Sidney Education Association (SEA) and Ohio Association of Public Service Employees (OAPSE, Sidney) were approved Monday night by the Sidney City Schools Board of Education.
“We have a good and strong working relationship between the teachers and administrators,” said Superintendent John Scheu concerning the extensions.
The contract for the SEA was extended to July 31, 2021. There will be a base increase of 2.75 percent for the 2019-20 and 2.75 percent base increase for the 2020-21.
Scheu said the extension will give the district a better competitive salary schedule when hiring teachers for the district.
“This extension is for salary only,” said Scheu. “There is no change in the contract language.”
The contract for the OAPSE, Sidney, which covers custodians and bus drivers, also calls for 2.75 percent base increase in each of the two contract years, which runs through June 30, 2020.
The only difference, said Scheu, a one-time adjustment will be made in the 2019-20 school year for employees who were hired prior to 2015. Those employees, who were at step 0 during the term of the negotiated agreement in force from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015, will have two additional steps added to their 2019-20 salary schedule placement in addition to the step earned for the 2018-19 school year employment. He said this adjustment deals with seven employees.
Scheu said the extensions and increases were made possible because “the district is fiscally sound and continues to live within our means.”
Both unions had approved the extensions prior to the BOE voting on it Monday night.
Scheu and Chuck Craynon, American Legion Americanism and Government program coordinator, recognized sophomore Rachel Trudeau for being named one of three sophomores in the state to win the state test champions. Trudeau is an open-enrolled student into Sidney City Schools from Covington.
Trudeau is the 30th state champion from Sidney High School, said Scheu.
According to Craynon, Trudeau won the local post competition; the county competition which included four posts; district competition which included seven counties; and the state level, which included 14 districts.
“This is the first year in a long time there was no 100s on the state test,” said Craynon.
Trudeau received a trip to Washington, D.C., for winning the state competition.
“I think this speaks highly of our social studies department,” said Scheu.
In other business, the board:
• Accepted donations to the Board/Administration Scholarship Fund from Mandi Croft, $100, and Michael Watkins, $100.
• Accepted the resignation of Brett Bickel as Sidney High School student government adviser.
• Hired Corum Cotterman, James Mikolajewski and Anne Westerheide as substitute teachers for the 2017-18 school year at $90 per day.
• Hired Brenda Baker, substitute aide, $11.01 per hour; Stephanie Duncum, substitute aide, $11.01 per hour; and Melissa Kinnison, substitute cook, $9.49 per hour, on a one-year, as-needed contract for the 2016-17 school year.
• Awarded a supplemental contract to Brenda Spangler as T3 tutoring teacher at $26 per hour. This is for the after-school program at Sidney Middle School which meets twice a week.
• Employed Marissa Thompson as an intervention specialist for the 2017-18 school year. Her contract is effective Aug. 14, 2017, and she will be paid $63,361 per year.
• Approved an updated cafeteria manager schedule for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school. This is for the high school cafeteria manager, who secures all substitute cooks for the district, and is responsible for preparing more food and overseeing more staff. The first year of the schedule calls for a $2 an hour increase.
• Approved a $1 an hour premium for the SMS head cook position beginning with the 2017-18 school year.
The board’s next meeting will be Monday, April 3, at 6 p.m. at the board of education office.
