The Mars Area School Board has given district support staff a deadline to accept their latest contract offer or the board will move forward with plans to hire an outside contractor.
According to District Solicitor Tom Breth, at the last negotiation session with Custodial, Paraprofessional, and Secretarial support staff on July 5, the board presented the union with a revised proposal that made a significant increase to support staff wages. Breth went on to say the union now has until Sept. 1 to accept that deal or the board will attempt to finalize an agreement with a private company to perform custodial services.
If the board does vote to enter into a contract with a private company, Breth said the change over could happen as soon as the semester break between 2017 and 2018. The company would then be given the option of retaining current district custodial staff similar to the way some food service staff are still district employees.
Secretarial and paraprofessional employees will be able to continue to negotiate a contract after Sept. 1 but the district will also consider proposals to move to a third party to provide those services. The board’s detailed proposals will be posted in their entirety to the district’s website in the near future.
In June of 2016, the board asked for and received bids from subcontractors to perform those services. The stated intent for the use of those bids at that time was as a tool for negotiations. Breth said the progress of negotiations has been slow and the board is frustrated. He also said there is no expiration on the bids received last year.
Mars employs around 95 total support staff employees. Those employees have been without a contract for the past two years.
Written By: Ryan Saeler for the Butler Radio Network
