The Oxford Schools Board of Education approved a three-year contract with the Oxford Administrators’ Association (OAA) at the last regular meeting on Oct. 28. The OAA approved the contract on October 21.
“Their cooperative attitude and willingness to accept sensible trade-offs allowed us to reach an agreement very quickly,” said Superintendent Virginia Brennan-Kyro at the board meeting.
She later told this reporter, “I really give my staff a lot of credit for being very realistic. We used the same approach in finding sensible trade-offs as we did with the teachers.”
The contract is set to run from 2003-2006 and will cost the district an additional $92,500 in increases over the life of the agreement. The following pay increases were approved:
n 1.50 percent for 2003-2004 (for a $22,500 increase)
n 2.00 percent for 2004-2005 (for a $30,000 increase)
n and 2.50 percent for 2005-2006 (for a $40,000 increase).
These amounts do not include the contract scale amounts which increase an administrator’s salary every so many years, but not every year. Also, members of the OAA do not receive additional stipends.
Similar to the contracts recently approved for the teacher’s union, the OAA agreed to trade some items in order to have the pay increases. According to Superintendent Virginia Brennan-Kyro, members agreed to change their healthcare coverage to MESSA Choices. District officials calculated that this will save approximately $10,000 for the first year and $18,000 for each additional, for a total of $46,000. Also, the association agreed to give up the $18,000 per year in tuition reimbursement allotted, for a total of $54,000 in savings.
Brennan-Kyro explained to board members that these two steps will help to balance the increases in salaries by providing $100,000 in savings. However, not everyone on the board was pleased with the final agreement.
Board member Lee Barclay stated during discussion that he would not be voting in favor of the contract because he is still not comfortable with projecting forward three years. Also, he does not view the change in insurance as a “trade-off” since the administrators will “actually be receiving better coverage than before.”
“We just don’t know what the economic climate will be like in three years,” he told board members. “I’m just not comfortable with giving raises that far ahead.”
The board approved the contracts with a 6-1 vote.