BY HOLLY GASKILL
Following negotiations, tentative agreements have been made with the Bluffton-Harrison Teachers’ Association regarding 2021-2023 contracts.
The collective agreement includes a minimum teacher salary increase from $40,000 to $41,600 and a maximum salary increase from $70,864 to $73,540.
It also outlines a base salary increase for teachers ranging from $2,676 to $5,248, contributing to an overall average salary increase of 5.3 percent for Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District teachers.
This agreement was announced to the BHMSD school board Monday evening. The school board and the BHTA will review the agreement, and the board will consider it for ratification at the board’s Oct. 10 meeting.
Superintendent Brad Yates and Julie Thompson, school board president, said they were hopeful things should move forward without complication. However, in the event of any further need discussion, Yates said the board would add a meeting on Oct. 24. The ratification deadline is Nov. 15.
“I think every person in our district has worked so hard through the pandemic and then to keep up the quality of the district we have,” said Mike Murray, board member. “They deserve everything we can manage to provide.”
Yates also specifically thanked teacher representatives Kim Mayer, Vicki Van Matre, Kevin Powell and Becky Stotlar, as well as Thompson, for their time and effort in the negotiations.
“Our discussions were highly professional, and I am thankful for the Bluffton-Harrison Teachers’ Association’s continued partnership to best serve our school district.”
The agreement is available at bhsmd.org under the quick links section.
The school board also held a public hearing regarding their 2023 budget, including their capital project and bus replacement plan. There were no comments from the public regarding these items.
Adoption is slated for Oct. 10. The budget and other documents are available at bhmsd.org/notices.
During then general public comments portion of the meeting, Bluffton resident Steve Frettinger notified the board he had noticed the student parking lot lights were not on following football games and expressed concern it was not safe. Thompson thanked Frettinger for bringing it to the board’s attention and said it was a priority to ensure everyone’s safety.
holly@news-banner.com
