BRECKSVILLE, Ohio – The Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District’s 250 teachers received raises of 2 ¾ percent this year, under a new three-year collective-bargaining agreement.
Teachers will receive raises of 2.85 percent and 3 ¼ percent in 2025 and 2026, respectively, under the new contract.
Meanwhile, the district’s support staff received raises of 2.85 percent this year and will receive raises of 3 percent in both 2025 and 2026, under a separate three-year contract.
The district’s support staff consists of about 190 administrative assistants, secretaries, bus drivers, bus aides, food service workers, computer technicians, couriers, custodians, educational assistants, health aides, maintenance workers, mechanics and media assistants.
“This is a major step in our school district,” district Superintendent Jeffery Harrison said in May when the school board unanimously approved the contracts.
Harrison said the negotiating process with the two unions began in January.
“I cannot say enough about the professionalism and dedication by both teams, both from the school district as well as the BEA (Brecksville-Broadview Heights Education Association), which is our teaching association,” Harrison said.
School board President Mark Dosen agreed, saying, “Neither side got everything they wanted, which is kind of what you’re looking for, a balanced agreement that you can both walk away from and feel good about.”
Although the school board approved the teachers’ contract in May, it was not available for public viewing until Monday (Oct. 14).
When asked last week what legal reason the district had to keep the contract under wraps, Harrison told cleveland.com in an email, “Absolutely no reason other than it is being edited and verified by our legal team and the union to make sure the finished product is free of errors.”
The contact was kept off the school board’s May 15 electronic agenda until earlier this week, when several draft documents of the contract appeared on the agenda.’
As of Tuesday, the new teachers’ contract had still not been posted on the school district’s website.
At any rate, the wage increases for teachers and support staffers under the two new contracts will cost the school district about $900,000 in year one, about $920,000 in year two and about $1.1 million in year three, according to schools Treasurer Craig Yaniglos.
“Please keep in mind that much of these increases are offset by our retirement incentive that was offered, where 14 experienced teachers retired, allowing us to receive almost $700,000 in savings each year,” Yaniglos said in a Tuesday email to cleveland.com.
The district’s entire general fund budget in 2023-2024 was $54.7 million.
Under the new contracts for teachers, salaries will range from $48,962 to $115,217 in the 2024-2025 school year. For support staffers, hourly rates will range from $16.71 to $38.49 this school year.
The new three-year contracts for teachers and support staffers also include provisions for:
Hospitalization and medical insurance: Teachers and full-time support staffers pay 15 percent of their insurance premiums. That rate will rise to 16 percent in October 2025 and 16.5 percent in October 2026.
Dental insurance: The deductible for teachers and full-time support staffers is $25 for an individual and $50 for a family. The district pays up to 85 percent of the insurance premium but that rate will drop to 84 percent in October 2025 and 83.5 percent in October 2026.
Prescription drug insurance: Teachers and full-time support staffers pay $10 for a generic drug, $15 for a name-brand drug and $25 for a nonformulary drug. The district covers 85 percent of the prescription drug premium but that rate will drop to 84 percent in October 2025 and 83.5 percent in October 2026.
Life insurance. The district pays for $50,000 in life and accidental dismemberment or death coverage for teachers and support staffers working 30 or more hours a week. For teachers working between 15-29 hours a week, and support staffers working between 20-29 hours a week, the amount of coverage is $20,000.
State Teachers Retirement System pickup. The district pays for teacher and support-staffer contributions, as well as the district contributions, to the teachers’ state retirement funds.
Longevity pay. Support staffers earn an annual bonus of $600 after working at the district for 10 years. The bonus increases to $1,200 after 15 years, $1,700 after 20 years and $2,200 after 25 years.
Mentoring programs. Veteran teachers who mentor new teachers receive an extra amount equal to between 4 percent and 6 percent of their base pay.
Extracurricular assignments. Teachers who take on extra roles, such as band directors, sports coaches or summer school instructors, receive an extra amount equal to various percentages of their base pay, up to 7.5 percent.
Incentive payments for attendance. Teachers who don’t take any paid leave during a school year receive an extra $500.
Support staffers who use no more than two paid-leave days between July and December receive an extra $500 and another $500 if they do the same between January and June. For support staffers working fewer than 260 days, the bonus is $350.
Assault leave. This is given to teachers who are injured due to a physical assault by a pupil. Paid assault leave is limited to five days unless a doctor certifies that recovery time will take longer, in which case the leave is capped at 90 days.
