School employees to get 5.42 percent raise

Employees of the San Juan School District will receive an increase in compensation that totals 5.42 percent for the next school year. The negotiated agreement was finalized at the May 13 meeting of the school board.
The compensation package includes a 1.5 percent increase in the base salary, in addition to the steps and lanes that reward employees for longevity and increased education.
Increases to the cost of the retirement are 1.7 percent, while a 5.7 percent increase in health insurance premiums is also factored in for employees receiving that benefit.
In addition, the district is considering an adjustment in sick leave policy that would allow employees to trade in unused sick pay for additional leave.
In other matters, free breakfast and lunch will be offered to all students in the school district in the coming year as part of a new program approved by the school board.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) seeks to improve access to meals in eligible high poverty schools and eliminates the administrative burden of collecting household applications.
The school district willparticipate in the program at a 78 percent reimbursement rate. Participating in the program means that all students in district can eat meals free of charge.
The district will receive full reimbursement rate from Federal funds for 78 percent of the meals served in the district.
The remaining 22 percent of meals will be paid fby the District, but will receive the “full pay” reimbursement from Federal funds, which is currently $0.30 for lunch and $0.28 for breakfast.