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Campbell district, teachers OK new contract
By jeanne starmack
campbell
The school district and its teachers have approved a new one-year contract, said schools Superintendent Thomas Robey.
The teachers union, the Campbell Education Association, approved the contract Aug. 26. The school board approved it Aug. 30, Robey said. Negotiations had begun after voters approved a renewal levy in May, he said.
Robey said the contract calls for a 1 percent raise, and teachers will pay an additional 2 percent toward health insurance.
Last year, beginning teachers were paid $32,005. Under the new contract, they will be paid $32,325.
Teachers with 27 years’ experience and a master’s degree made $64,650 last year. Under the new contract, they will make $65,297, Robey said.
Robey said that last year, the school district paid 99 percent of its core health-care plan and will now pay 97 percent. It paid 95 percent of its low-deductible plan last year, and will now pay 93 percent.
Robey said the district paid 96 percent for dental and vision care and will now pay 94 percent. Other features in the new contract include allowing the district flexibility in the retire-rehire program.
Teachers hired under the program used to be automatically renewed after their first year, but that is no longer the case, Robey said.
The contract also allows the school district to call a two-hour delay in bad weather, which it never did before, Robey said.
Robey said that option was negotiated because the state has reduced the number of calamity days from five to three.
Robey said the district and the union agreed to a one-year contract because the district is heavily funded by the state. “We couldn’t guarantee the money would be available in the future,” he said.
The same terms for raises and health care will apply to all district employees not covered by a contract and to administrators, Robey said.
Lisa Kana, who is president of the teachers union, could not be reached to comment.
Campbell has not yet approved a new contract with the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Robey said. That union includes custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, educational aides and food- service workers.