A three-year contract was approved in October, retroactive to last year.
RANGELEY – Voters approved spending $15,468 to pay school support staff retroactive wage increases and health benefits Thursday night.
Support staff members are expected to get their retroactive pay in Friday’s paycheck, Superintendent Kenneth Coville said.
Both Coville and Staff Association Chief Negotiator Susan Ruprecht said they were “very pleased” that the contract was settled and community members supported school employees.
Contract negotiations were ongoing between the Association, which serves 18 members, and the School Committee for more than a year before both sides accepted an independent state labor fact-finding panel’s recommendations.
A three-year contract was approved in October, retroactive to last year. The contract gave employees a 4 percent increase on the base wage in each of the years, except for bus drivers who get a 4.5 percent increase on the base wage each year. But since there was no contract approved by the end of the last fiscal year, the money for retroactive pay and increased benefits was put in a 2003 unexpended balance account.
The school needed voter approval to use the money for the retroactive wages and benefits.
Ruprecht said she had a couple of restless nights as she worried whether community members would support the retroactive pay.
But she said come voting night, the front room of the Town Office was packed and people had spilled over into another room.
“It was a good turnout,” Ruprecht said. “It was a unanimous vote … no arguments. It passed. It was a wonderful feeling. It’s finally over. I’m really elated and happy for the support staff.”
Coville said the School Committee is scheduled to start negotiations with teachers this week. He expects negotiations to go smoothly and the process to take less time to reach an agreement with that association.
Voters also approved spending $27,271.25 for adult education Thursday. The money had been raised and appropriated but an error in the wording of the warrant article hadn’t given school officials the authority to spend the money.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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