Schools
Lakewood Schools Agree To Contract Extensions With Support Staff
The contract extensions include a 2.5 percent base salary increase for the 2018-2019 school year, and triggers to cancel the contracts early
LAKEWOOD, OH - The Lakewood School District has approved a pair of contract extensions with support staff unions. Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) Local 129, which covers clerical staff and educational aides, and OAPSE 134, which covers custodial and maintenance staff, have both had their respective contracts extended. Both contracts include a 2.5 percent base salary increase for the 2018-2019 school year.
The associations could both receive a similar 2.5 percent increase during the 2019-2020 school year, if the district doesn't lose $200,000 or more in state funding. If the state does cut $200,000 or more in funding, both contracts will expire a year early.
The OAPSE 129 contract is now set to expire July 31, 2020, while the OAPSE 134 contract will expire August 31, 2020. If state cuts hit the contingency enacting level, the OAPSE 129 contract will expire July 31, 2019 and the OAPSE 134 contract will expire August 31, 2019.
Find out what's happening in Lakewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The school district will be able to determine the level of future state funding cuts once Governor John Kasich's budget proposal is passed by the Ohio Congress. The bill is slated to undergo changes prior to approval, leaving plenty of room for changes to state funding levels for education. The budget must be approved by July 1, 2017.
If the state does decide to cut $200,000 or more in funding to Lakewood Schools, the two associations and the school district are required by contract to meet for negotiations on Sept. 1, 2017.
Find out what's happening in Lakewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Besides the base salary increases, the extensions also include a higher-deductible health-plan for employees. Employee contribution for all health care options remains at 15 percent, the district says.
Lakewood Superintendent Jeffrey Patterson assured the Board of Education that the base salary increases for the associations will not negatively impact the district's five-year economic forecast.
The Lakewood Board of Education approved the extensions at its March 20 meeting.
At its March 6 meeting, the Lakewood Board of Education approved a similar contract extension with the teacher's union. The extension includes a 2.5 percent salary increase for teachers in the 2018-2019 school year and a similar increase is possible for the 2019-2020 school year. The contract extension expires July 31, 2020. That contract is also contingent upon state funding cuts.
If the district loses funding of $200,000 or more, the salary increase for teachers in 2019-2020 will not go into effect. Instead, the contract will expire early, on July 31, 2019. Additionally, if the contract expires early, the two sides are obligated to meet on Sept. 1, 2017.
That means if the final state budget creates funding cuts of $200,000 or more for the Lakewood Schools, the district could find itself negotiating extensions with the teacher's union and OAPSE 129 and OAPSE 134 at the same time.
To read more about the teacher's union extension, click here.
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