Contracts approved for Bay Village Schools teachers and support staff

The Bay Village Board of Education approved new, three-year contracts with the district’s teachers and support staff members at its Monday, May 9, regular board meeting.

Both the Bay Teachers Association and the district’s OAPSE employees (including custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff and school secretaries) agreed to salary increases of 2 percent for the first year of their new contracts, with increases of 1.75 percent for each of the following two years.

"Thanks to the collaborative relationships between our administration, our teachers and our support staff, we can continue to offer a high-quality education to our students while maintaining sound fiscal management for our community," said Amy Huntley, president of the school board. "This stability is so important. It lets our board plan ahead to offer the best programs in the most cost-efficient ways. I know I speak for our board in saying how proud we all are of our staff members and their dedication to our children and to our community."

Superintendent Clint Keener noted that because staff members have accepted modest increases, freezes and higher employee-paid health insurance costs since an operating levy passed in 2010, the district has been able to extend that levy well beyond its initial three-to-four-year projection.

“Our teachers are very motivated professionals,” Keener said. “More than three-quarters of them have, on their own time and cost, earned master's degrees in their fields because they want to be the best. Their hard work keeps us among the top in national and state rankings that measure academic performance in all kinds of ways.”

Keener noted that the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Education shows that Bay Village teacher salaries are just slightly above the average in Cuyahoga County, yet the faculty is among the top third in years of experience.

He had praise for the district’s support staff, as well. “Our bus drivers have an excellent safety record. Our food service staff has, through hard work and creativity, balanced their budget. Our custodians take great pride in keeping our buildings clean and attractive. Our maintenance staff uses a broad set of skills to save us many dollars in building repairs and upgrades. And our secretaries serve everyone with patience and pride each day,” he said.

Keener said that it was the positive collaboration and mutual respect reflected in the bargaining agreements that let the district excel both in financial management and in student academic achievement. “Learning is our product,” he said. “We teach the whole child. It requires a team of dedicated professionals at every level. I have the utmost respect for our staff members, and I know that we are on track for continued success.”