August 26 School Board Highlights

Here are some of the highlights from the August 26, Ephrata School Board meeting. Members of the public are always welcome to attend board meetings. Click for a list of meeting dates and times, board agendas and other information.

Rehiring of Retired School Employees 
The board agreed to rehire retired school employees when/if needed. Potential rehires must have retired from the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), the School Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) or the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). Available Open Positions. Additional information on the procedure for rehiring can be found in School Board Policy 5001.

Collective Bargaining Agreement Reached with Public School Employees Union
The Ephrata School board ratified the district’s contract with the PSE Union, which represents non-certificated, or classified staff. Staff shared their appreciation for the respectful collaboration that continues to occur between union representatives and management. 

The new contact is a three year agreement that revises language to meet the district’s current needs. Classified wages will increase inline with the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD*) during the 2024-2025 school year, 3.7 percent or IPD in 2025-2026 and IPD in 2026-2027.

*The IPD is a figure used to measure inflation by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is an alternative measure of inflation to the Consumer Price Index.

Donations
The board recognized the generosity of community members that recently made donations to the district. By policy, the school board must approve any donation of money, materials or equipment having a value of $500 or more. Our sincere thanks go out to Tiger Boosters for their $3,400 donation towards the purchase of new cheer mats for competition practice. Total cost of the mats is $7.362. The extracurricular / cheer budget is paying the balance.