The Blair Oaks School District Board of Education approved salary and benefits changes for the 2020-21 school year on Tuesday.
Superintendent Jim Jones presented the 2020-21 salary and benefits proposal that was approved, which includes a $15 increase in certified staff salary. There will be a $550 base increase, from 36,250 to 36,800.
The bottom step includes a 2.71 percent increase from the previous year, the middle step is a 2.70 percent increase, and the top step is a 2.87 percent increase.
There will also be a 70-cent hourly increase for classified staff, which is the highest it's been in more than 21 years, Jones said.
The district liaison committee met Monday and looked at all the options for health insurance. The committee decided switching from Cigna to UnitedHealthcare would be the best option. The board approved the switch to UnitedHealthcare as the district's insurance carrier.
If the district renewed the plan with Cigna, they wouldn't be able to increase salaries because too much money would be going to insurance.
There will be a 1 percent increase in district contribution for health and life insurance for all full-time staff, which is $6,394.03 per employee. The employee deductible will not change.
The school board insurance will be $60,000. The remainder at the end of the fiscal school year will be applied against the health insurance liability.