Classes in the Alpine District's schools won't start for another week. But atypically for this decade, the district will start school with all of its employees under contract.
This week, members of the Alpine School Board unanimously approved a new contract for the 1994-95 school year with the district's classified employees, which includes bus drivers, custodians and other maintenance workers, secretaries and lunch workers.Under terms of that contract, the classified employees will receive a base pay increase of 4.1 percent.
With the total benefits package approved by the school board - including full medical, surgical and extended health insurance, as well as step and lane change provisions - Alpine's classified employees will actually receive a total compensation increase of 6.75 percent.
Already, the district has signed contracts with its certified personnel - or teachers - and its administrators. Both those deals, which make those employees better paid than their Utah County counterparts, also increase base pay and benefits by the same percentage.
All the contracts were first approved by the employees in separate meetings after negotiations with Alpine officials.
"We're pleased to be able to have all our employees under contract before the school year starts," Superintendent Steven Baugh said.
Increased educational funding on the state and federal level, as well as conservative spending by the district, allowed Alpine to increase pay for all three employee groups, Baugh said.
Unlike other school districts in the county, the Alpine School District will continue to pay the costs required to maintain designated insurance coverage. The district contained rising medical insurance costs through alterations in its existing programs and prudence by employees.
Also, to continue lowering insurance costs, Alpine is forming a wellness subcommittee. That committee, which will include three certified employees, three classified employees and three administrators, will develop an educational program to motivate employees to reduce sick leave and insurance usage.