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SOUTHINGTON -- The Southington Board of Education has approved new three-year contract agreements with the district's teaching and nonteaching staff.
The board, by a 5-0 vote, approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Southington Education Association, which represents 36 teachers.
Treasurer Paul Pestello said teachers will receive a 3.75% pay increase the first year, and 2.5% pay increases in the second and third years. Pestello said the pay increases will cost the district an additional $200,000 over the three years.
The board also approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Ohio Association of Public Employees Local 673, which represents 15 nonteaching employees, including cafeteria and custodial staff, and secretaries.
Pestello said the employees will receive a 1.4% to 1.56% pay increase the first year based on job classification, a 2.5% increase the second year and a 2.25% pay increase the third year.
He said the cost for the pay increases will be $45,000 over three years.
Both contracts are effective Aug. 1 to July 31, 2027.
Board member Steve Gilanyi said there were years when the unions did not receive any pay increases.
Pestello said negotiations went well with both unions.
"They are fair and reasonable contracts in today's economic situation," Pestello said.
The board also approved a contract agreement with Classical Construction for the construction of a new bus garage at $199,900 with a bid of $27,000 for the interior package.
Superintendent Rocco Nero said work will be done this summer to construct the new bus garage behind the school campus off state Route 534. The current bus garage is located off state Route 305 by the ballfields and Chalker building.
Nero said the district wanted to get the bus garage next to the new school campus for safety reasons.
In other matters, board President Terry Kelly said the high school's drone team placed first last weekend at the competition at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.
Board member Betsy Dunn said the graduating class was the first class to start kindergarten in the new school complex when it opened in 2011.
In other action, the board:
• Set a public meeting for 5 p.m. May 30 at the library for discussion on the planned retirement and then rehiring of Shari Gilanyi as secretary to the superintendent.
• Approved an agreement with TCESC at $561,818 for various special education and other services. Officials said the cost is the same as last year.
• Rescheduled the next meeting to 6 p.m. May 14 at the library.
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