The Haines Borough school board voted 5-2 Tuesday to give as much as six weeks of annual paid vacation leave to three janitorial and maintenance workers. Members Brenda Josephson and Lisa Schwartz were opposed.
The benefits match ones made to the district’s secretary and business manager in June, a move that angered some teachers who said they were told during contract negotiations earlier in the year that the district had limited funds for such increases.
The benefits approved this week will cost the district $10,519 in the first year and will go to maintenance man Gary Stigen and custodial workers Natasha and Rick Coleman. Their leave will accrue on the same schedule as one adopted in June for secretary Ashley Sage and business manager Judy Erekson, who received raises and leave valued at $12,853 in the first year.
All five are contracted, full-time employees of the district.
“If two full-time employees (get a benefit), all full-time employees should get the same thing. Fair is fair,” said Suzanne Newton, a representative of the union representing school workers. The union brought the issue to district officials.
Josephson, who cast the lone vote against the raises and benefits in June, said the district shouldn’t be considering such expenditures outside of its budget process or annual negotiations with the union.
“This is an extremely sensitive situation. I understand that. That’s why I thought it was so disappointing in June. We’re a public body. We have processes set up to make these decisions. We should work inside those processes,” Josephson said. She said after the meeting that she expects other employees to begin seeking similar leave, which she said could cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Schwartz also opposed making the decision outside of the district’s budget process. “We really don’t know if this is sustainable.We’re only 25 percent of the way through the year. I understand equitability, but I see this as a budget issue.”
Superintendent Ginger Jewell said the school’s maintenance and operation budgets could absorb the cost of the increases. “We have budgeted in this area above what was needed… I definitely have the money this year.” She characterized the extending the benefits as an “equity issue” that would “relieve angst among staff.”
Board chair Anne Marie Palmieri, who supported the extension of benefits, said the workers previously received unpaid leave. “We came up with a schedule for days of leave based on years of service that was similar to other districts.”
The new benefits are retroactive to July 1 and allow workers to “roll over” 15 days of paid leave to the following year.
The schedule’s first rung provides three weeks of paid leave for new employees, increasing to four weeks after three years on the job. Six weeks of paid leave (30 days) would go to workers with 11 or more years of experience.
Full-time employees also receive paid leave seven other days of the year, including Labor Day, Thanksgiving (2 days), Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.