The MSAD 60 Board of Directors on Tuesday voted to table ratification of the district's support‑staff agreement after board members asked staff and the union to clarify contract language and provide a more detailed accounting of longevity and salary impacts.

Board members said they support completing negotiations but want a clearer written definition of who qualifies for a bonus tied to work in "life skills and behavior programs" and wanted an itemized statement of longevity costs now included in the draft agreements.

Staff member Jen told the board the negotiated multi‑year contract shows average salary increases of about 5.1 percent in year one, 5.3 percent in year two and 5.2 percent in year three for the support staff unit. Jen said the district added a new $1,100 annual contribution for employees enrolled in family health plans and introduced a $40 daily supplement when administrators assign support staff to cover classroom duties.

Jen also provided an approximate district figure for year‑over‑year increases: "for the support staff contract is approximately '40,0000 increase from this year to last," and said transportation was negotiated as a three‑year contract that includes the current year because bus employees had been without a contract. When a board member asked for longevity costs specific to drivers, Jen said she would follow up and later read a figure: "the money increase for '26 is going to be $71,007.47" for transportation longevity.

Union president Rick Ingalls attended negotiations and, according to Jen, participated in constructive talks; Jen described the negotiations as "positive" and said the process did not become adversarial.

Board members pushed for a specific clarification on page 22, letter f of the contract draft, which references educators working in "self contained classrooms, life skills, and behavior programs." One board member said the phrase "behavior programs" should be narrowed or clarified so future boards and staff cannot interpret it expansively. Jen noted the contract requires the district to provide a list each Oct. 1 of employees who will receive the bonus, which she said would make the eligibility specific each school year, but the board opted to have staff and the union add a clarifying sentence rather than alter the agreement language now.

The board's motion to table the ratification passed on a voice vote after a member moved and another seconded the motion. No formal tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Staff also described implementation details for retroactive pay and payroll timing. Jen said transportation increases had already been built into current payroll calculations and that the only retroactive adjustments would relate to the timing of longevity payments.

What happens next: staff will draft a narrow clarifying sentence about behavior program eligibility to present to the union, and Jen said she would provide a detailed longevity cost breakdown to the board by follow up email.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the negotiated increases for support staff average roughly 5.1/5.3/5.2 percent over the three contract years; an added $1,100 per year for employees enrolled in family health coverage; a new $40 daily supplement for administrative reassignment; transportation contract covers the current year within a three‑year agreement; a cited longevity cost for transportation of $71,007.47 was provided in the meeting.

The board did not approve the contract at the meeting and asked staff to return with the requested clarifications before a final vote.