Loudonville- Perrysville teachers, staff get raises in 3-year contracts

Pay raises and lower health insurance premiums are part of new three-year contracts approved Monday, Sept. 12, by the Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools Board of Education and unions representing teachers and nonteachers.

According to Superintendent Catherine Puster, both groups will receive a 4% raise in the first year of the deal, a 3.5% hike the second year, and 3% the third year.

The agreement also includes a new hospitalization insurance program, which involves lower premiums and higher deductibles, Puster said.

"I appreciate how the negotiations went," board President John Carroll said. "We were concerned, financially, with our current hospitalization program, and both unions were willing to work with us to adopt a new program, a program that will save us money."

"This spirit of cooperation allowed the board to make larger raises," board member Dave Hunter added. "If we can get movement from our employees on some of these side issues, we can reward our staff. In this case, our employees will actually save on their insurance premium and, down the road, have better insurance coverage than with the current plan."

Hunter also expressed appreciation to district Treasurer Christine Angerer for working to find the new insurance plan, and communicate the changes to members of the two unions.

With the adoption of the negotiated settlements, the board awarded stipends to its nonunion and exempt employees, $2,000 for fiscal year 2022-'23, $1,750 the following fiscal year, and $1,500 for 2024-'25.

Board members tour bus

garage, built in the 1950s

and conduct other business

Monday's meeting was held in the school bus garage on North Mt. Vernon Avenue, the first of several board meetings to be held across the school district. October's meeting will be at the C.E. Budd Elementary School.

Built in the early 1950s, buses are parked on dirt floors and, because school buses were lengthened long after the building's construction, the tail ends stick out through unclosed garage doors.

Shane McCaskey, district building and grounds supervisor, led a tour of the building before the meeting, with Assistant Transportation Supervisor George Lee.

Michelle D'Amico, president of the McMullen School (grades K-3) Parents Association, said the organization is following up on its successful construction of an outdoor classroom on the McMullen grounds last year with a project, to build a new floor in the school gym.

Quizzed by board members, D'Amico said the association has not yet determined how the floor will be replaced, and said cost estimates range widely, from $34,000 to $200,000.

No formal estimates have been sought, she said.

"Fundraising will be the association's primary role," she said. "We'll start with a catalog sales program this fall, and of course we will accept donations."

The board approved high school English teacher Aimee Ross's participation in a writing conference to be held in a monastery in Tuscany, Italy, the week of Thanksgiving.

"Participation in this conference will improve my skills as a teacher of writing, and will help allow me to teach college-level courses to all students," she said.

The varsity boys basketball team was given the OK to travel to Knightstown, Indiana to play a basketball game against area rival Black River on Jan 14, in the legendary Hoosier gym. The team will leave LHS on Jan. 13 and spend the night near the gymnasium, at no cost to the district.

Other action from the Sept. 12 L-P school board meeting

Approved permanent appropriations in the amount of $22.032 million, including a general fund of $17.4 million.

Authorized the superintendent to establish policies and procedures in response to pandemic/endemic developments.

Agreed to allow the Loudonville free street fair to use the Budd School auditorium as a backup space during the Oct. 4-8 event in case of inclement weather.

Approved student handbooks for the Budd and McMullen schools.

Approved one-year contracts for bus drivers Tom Kauffman and Aimee Myrold.

Added Brock Weiser and April Keener to the substitute classified employee lists.

Hired the following classified employees: Danielle Renshaw, assistant second shift Budd School custodian; Judy Weiser, long term food service substitute; Hope Reynolds, library/media aide; and Julie Rooks and Kenneth Phillips, paraprofessionals, respectively at the McMullen and High Schools.

Accepted the retirements, at the end of the school year, of Intervention Specialist Jody Getz and sixth-grade teacher Robin Strong.

Set the pay at $30 per event for those who take tickets at school extracurricular events.

Staff members Carol Hinkle, Kristen Donley, Nicole Spencer, Mindy Baker, John Curtis and Christie Orr were designated to receive payment for their participation in the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support meeting this summer.

Extracurricular assignments include: Jennifer Vaughn, junior high yearbook adviser; Trevor Ritz, freshman football coach; Christy Gray, student council adviser and high school PBIS; Jeff Frankford, senior class advisor and assistant boys basketball coach; Tyler Bates, head girls basketball coach; Alex Bates, assistant girls basketball coach; Casey Garver, seventh grade girls basketball coach; David Vaughan, assistant high school wrestling coach; and Mike Baker, head winter weight room adviser.

Awarded pupil activity contracts: Judy Koppert, L-P Development Committee; Brock Weiser, assistant junior high football coach; Chuck Ganson and Logan Huffman, volunteer football coaches; Rex Conway, assistant girls basketball coach; Hannah Clark and Becky Lance, freshmen girls basketball coaches; Jim Bates, head boys varsity basketball coach; Jon Guilliams, assistant boys basketball coach; Andy Van Horn, elementary boys basketball coach; Cathy Vermilya, elementary girls basketball coach; Ryan Thatcher, head wrestling coach; David Denslow, junior high wrestling coach; Jacob Gessner, freshman boys basketball coach; and Danielle Clady, basketball cheerleading coach.