Pay increases approved for Area 30 employees

A brief board meeting this week was nonetheless impactful for all employees of Area 30 Career Center.

Meeting for just 10 minutes Tuesday, the career center’s interlocal board of directors, composed of the superintendents of member school districts Cloverdale, Eminence, Greencastle, North Putnam and South Putnam, unanimously approved a new contract with the Area 30 Certified Employee Organization, which represents all instructors at Area 30.

The superintendents also approved pay increases for all non-certified staff and cafeteria staff.

The master contract makes pay for Area 30 instructors equal to the average of the five member schools, as was reported by Area 30 Executive Director Lora Busch during the October meeting.

The new salary schedule puts the starting salary at $40,000 for teachers with a bachelor’s degree and $43,800 for those with a master’s degree.

At the other end of the spectrum, salaries top out at $67,200 for those with bachelor’s degrees and $71,000 for master’s degrees.

The new contract was ratified by the instructors Tuesday afternoon.

Additionally, the board also approved an increase of three percent for all cafeteria staff, with a $500 stipend for full-time employees and $250 for part-time employees.

A pay adjustment for non-certified staff was approved last month.

The increases for the employees are being paid retroactively for previous pay periods within the 2021-22 school year and then reflected regularly in future pay periods.

Greencastle Supt. Jeff Gibboney asked Busch and Assistant Director Chad Nunley if they were included in the pay increases. When Busch said they were not, President and North Putnam Supt. Nicole Allee suggested this was a matter that should be examined moving forward.

In other business:

• The board approved hiring Jake Widner as a consultant for its adult education program on an as-needed basis.

Widner previously served as associate director of the Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP) at Ivy Tech Community College in Greencastle.

• Busch informed the board of two upcoming field trips for Area 30 students, as teacher education and early childhood development students were set to visit Indiana State University on Wednesday, while early college students will visit Vincennes University on Nov. 17.

• Busch also reported that sophomores from member schools are beginning their visits to Area 30 as they make decisions for their junior and senior years, when students are eligible to attend half-day classes at the career center. Last year, recruitment efforts looked different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We look forward to getting back to that, doing what we used to do with sophomores,” Busch said.

• On the COVID-19 front, Busch reported that less than half a percent of Area 30’s population was either positive for the virus or awaiting results.

Likewise, only slightly more than half a percent was quarantined due to contact tracing.

Joining Busch, Nunley and Corporation Treasurer Cindy Burnham were board members Allee, Gibboney, Cloverdale Supt. Greg Linton, Eminence Supt. Wesley Hammond and South Putnam Supt. Corey Smith.

Due to conferences some of the member superintendents will be attending next month, the December meeting will not be on its regular date. Instead, the board will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9 in the boardroom at Area 30.