Schools

K-L Board, Support Staff Union Approve 2-Year Deal

The Katonah-Lewisboro school board and the Katonah-Lewisboro Support Staff Association (KLSSA) have each approved a new contract that will run for two years, officials announced Wednesday.

The deal, officially called a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), will run from July 1 to June 30, 2015. It replaces a 7-year deal, which started on July 1, 2006 and is set to expire on June 30.

Under the deal, employees in the union will get 1.75-percent base salary increases for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, while step increases will be frozen. 

The deal also involves a switch in health insurance plans, as KLSSA and the district will move away from a self-insured plan to the the New York State Health Insurance Program, which is called NYSHIP. The union is the second one in the district to agree to a switch to NYSHIP, with the teachers' union opting to do so in a late-May deal with the district that resulted in modifications to the existing contract. The teachers' union and the district, however, have not reached a new overall deal, and that contract is also set to expire on June 30. 

“The tone of the negotiations was consistently professional and productive,” outgoing school board President Mark Lipton said in a statement. “On behalf of the Board and the community, I want to thank the KLSSA for their preparation and collaboration in creating an agreement that balances the needs of its members, while responding to the financial realities of our district.”

KLSSA President Jeani Granelli praised the deal in a statement released by the district.

"The Executive board of the KLSSA, as well as the membership, are pleased that we were able to come to equitable terms with the Katonah-Lewisboro School District," she said. "During these economically trying times, it can be difficult to balance the financial resources of the school district with the needs of our membership. We thank the BOE for working collaboratively with us to settle this MOA."

To read a copy of the deal, click here.


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