PORTAGE (WKZO-AM) — Portage Public Schools teachers and janitors are expected to be working under new contracts when the new school year starts this fall.
Human Resources Director Brad Galin said negotiations have been underway since April.
“The teachers ratified their agreement last week, our board followed suit and was able to ratify it Monday night and did a preliminary ratification for the custodial mainenence group, and they’re scheduled to have their vote on Friday,” Galin said.
Some of the district’s longest-tenured teachers were not guaranteed pay bumps under the old agreement. Galin said that will change.
“They’ve smoothed some of that out so no longer will a step increase mean no increase,” Galin said. “It’s a five percent jump in the earliest years of the contract and one percent jumps after that.”
The district is still working on new deals for bus drivers and secretaries.
