The Homer-Center School Board ended fifteen-months of negotiations with the Homer-Center Educators Association with the approval of a three-year contract.
The contract will last through the 2019-2020 school year, and keeps in place the pay raise system that has been in place in prior contracts, which relies on the district’s ability to receive additional revenue. The minimum salary increase will be 2.15% while the ceiling set by the district is 4%.
The contract also includes guaranteed paid time for course preparation if teachers receive new course assignments over the summer.
Superintendent Dr. Charles Koren said the lengthy process of the negotiations was due to the combination of three issues: trying to acknowledge the desires of the HCEA, blending them with the priorities of the district and the realities of the finances of all school districts in Pennsylvania, specifically Homer-Center’s. Koren also said that the negotiation process was amicable between both sides.
The new contract passed by a 5-2 vote with Robert Valyo and Vicki Smith voting against the contract. They said they had concerns with a portion of the agreement that offers incentives for early retirement.
In other business, the district discussed school safety and the possibility of having an armed security guard on the district’s campus. The issue came up after a concerned citizen addressed the board saying they were in favor of hiring an armed security officer. During the meeting, Valyo spoke to the board on his personal experiences working as an armed guard at different high schools and said he would support such a hiring.
But board member Vicki Smith was concerned with the presence of any guns on campus, and also said that budgeting such an employee could require cutting costs in areas like liberal arts.
No decision was made last night to hire an armed guard, but the discussion will continue.
