By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT – School district custodians and paraprofessionals have sealed new, three-year deals that will increase salaries and, in the long run, save the district money.

Both groups will get raises, which by June 2025 when their contracts end, will amount to about 10 percent increases. And both are switching to a high-deductible health insurance plan that Elio Longo, the school district’s chief financial officer, said will produce savings that more than cover the cost of the higher compensation.

The custodians’ pact, ratified by the group May 11, requires the district to pay out $254,930 additional over the course of three years while insurance costs will decline by $490,496.

The paraprofessionals’ contract, ratified by the union on Monday before the Board of Eduction met, will cost an additional $593,845 over the three years, while insurance costs will decline by a total of $1.8 million.

The district has now withdrawn all its employee bargaining units from insurance coverage by the Connecticut State Partnership, and instead is providing coverage with a so-called high-deductible plan that district officials say will help better manage rising health costs long-term.

A new contract was approved last October for Westport teachers. In April, school nurses, health assistants and maintenance staff got new contracts. All switched over to a high-deductible health premium plan.

Jason Intieri, a paraprofessional who also oversees security at Bedford Middle School, represents both custodians and paraprofessionals, and said insurance was a major issue during negotiations.

“Members on both sides really liked the state partnership plan that we were on, however, when state numbers came out in April [premiums] increased by 10.5 percent,” Intrieri said. “With that increase, in this economic environment, with inflation and everything, moving to the high deductible and securing the deductible contribution the district is going to make, made it a beneficial agreement for both custodians and paras.”

The district is funding between 65 and 55 percent of the deductible each of the three years.

Meanwhile, premium co-shares paraprofessionals must pay is reduced from 19 to 17 percent in the first two years before increasing to 17.5 percent in the third year.

Custodians’ premium share will be cut from 18 to 16 percent in the first year of the contract and 16.5 percent in the third year.

New contract details

There are 48 custodians in the Westport school district and nearly 160 paraprofessionals.

During the pandemic, Intieri said custodians checked on the schools daily to make sure they stayed in good shape and were ready to reopen.

Paraprofessionals, meanwhile, often have been asked to take on the role of substitute teacher during the pandemic, Intieri said.  “There was a shortage of subs in district,” he said.

“Paras stepped up and were asked to cover a lot of classes. We felt it was really important that they be compensated.”

The new contract includes a memorandum of understanding that will pay paraprofessionals $105 a day above their normal pay if they have to sub, or for single class periods, an additional $15.

“I think the BOE realized paras are being pulled in all directions,” Intieri said.

Standard pay for paraprofessionals this year is $23.02 to $28.83 an hour. In 2022-23, they will see a 3.45 percent increase in that rate of pay.

Three family illness days were also added to the new contract.

Intieri said the pay scale for Westport paraprofessionals is not the highest in Fairfield County, but near the top.

Custodians currently are paid between $21.26 and $26.10 an hour. In the first year of the new contract, they would get a 2.25 percent increase and a step increase. In subsequent years, they will get 2 percent, plus a step increase.

This is the second contract in a row reflecting annual salary increases for custodians, who saw zero increases in the contract before that. There is also new contract language to increase pay for custodians performing work in a higher classification and the ability to release custodians early after clearing snow.

“I felt that the Board of Ed heard us out in negotiations,” Intieri said. “You don’t get all you want, but I thought it was a very fair process.”

School board member Kevin Christie, who was on the contract negotiation team, called it a fascinating process.

Both contracts were approved Monday by a 6-0 vote of the school board, with one member absent.

At the same meeting, Longo told the board that a 2021-22 budget shortfall forecast earlier in the fiscal year has evaporated, due largely to cost reductions in the transportation budget.

By consolidating five or six bus routes, the district will receive a $385,000 credit from Dattco, the contracted bus company, Longo said.

Board Chairwoman Lee Goldstein said the credit was a negotiated settlement.

The credit will cover a projected budget deficit and then some, tentatively leaving the district $255,000 in the black by the June 30 end of this fiscal year.

On July 1, the district will start anew with a $129,500,574 operating budget, approved earlier this month by the Representative Town Meeting. The 2022-23 budget is 3.11 percent higher than this year.

Linda Conner Lambeck is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Westport Journal. Learn more about us here.