Contract for school administrators ratified

The La Grande School Board voted 5-0 to approve a one-year contract. The pact will boost the pay of administrators since it adds four work days and provides double salary steps for all applicable employees.

Administrators agreed a year ago not to be paid in 2009-10 for salary steps because of the financial crisis the district faced. Terms of the new contract call for them to be paid for the steps in 2010-11 as a form of deferred payment.

The new contract also provides a 10.25 percent increase in the insurance cap for administrators. This will raise the cap for what the district pays for insurance from $930 a month per administrator to $1,024 per administrator, a jump of $94.

Four work days will also be added back in 2010-11. These days were cut a year ago when the district trimmed its school year by four days. The four school days were restored by the school board for 2010-11.

The new contract applies to 12 school district employees — its 10 administrators including Superintendent Larry Glaze plus the district’s food service and technology managers.

The contract’s key elements — no base salary increase, a double salary step, four added work days and 10.25 percent increase in the health insurance cap — are identical to the ones offered for 2010-11 by the school district to its classified staff and its teachers, Glaze said.

The district’s classified staff earlier accepted the offer, and its teachers are still negotiating a contract for 2010-11.