Howland schools OK 2.5 percent raises

Board moves last day of school to before Memorial Day

HOWLAND -- The Howland Board of Education has approved a 2.5 percent salary increase for all employees represented by the teaching and nonteaching unions effective for the 2021-22 school year.

Treasurer Samantha Pochedly said the 177 teachers represented by the Howland Classroom Teachers' Association and the 115 non-teaching staff represented by the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 034 will receive the increase.

She said the salary increases will cost the district $420,000.

Pochedly said the unions were in the third year of a three-year contract that ends in summer 2022 with a wage reopener clause for the third year. The unions received a 1.5 percent pay increase for the 2020-21 year.

She said a teacher's starting salary with bachelor's degree is $37,933 and a teacher with a master's degree and 32 years is $77,581.

The board also approved a resolution at Monday's meeting to join the Portage Area Schools Consortium for medical, dental and life insurance for employees. The district provides medical insurance that includes prescription, dental and vision coverage for full-time members of the bargaining units.

Pochedly said the consortium's rate will save the district $600,000.

The district previously had been with the Ohio School Benefits Cooperative.

In other business, the board by a 3-2 vote approved changing the last day of school for all students from June 3 to May 28, before the Memorial Day weekend.

Board President Julie Altawil, along with members Susan Brucoli and Ken Jones, approved the calendar amendments for the end of the year while members Denise Delida and Brian Burkey voted against them.

The change in the calendar will have staff working June 1 to 4 to collect and aggregate student assessment data, plan curriculum for recovery learning during summer school programs, professional development and the completion of transition files for each student.

Altawil said members of the teachers' union had requested the final day for students be modified to May 28, with the following Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday be utilized to allow time for staff to analyze student test data and transition indicators.

"These will be far more substantive due to the number of students and areas of content needed to be recovered. Staff will still report to school these days. Students will have already turned in their Chromebooks by then," Altawil said.

She said the administration indicated the district is well above the state requirements for educational hours for students and can end the year a few days earlier.

"I do support each board member in their decisions for voting for or against this motion. These decisions are not easy to make and each one of us vote the way we feel is best. I am so incredibly proud of our students, staff, our families, administration and the board of education for continuing do do the best they can during this unique year," Altawil said.