Five Year Contract Ratified By Support Staff At HFCS

by Alex Brooks
The Support Staff at Hoosick Falls Central School have agreed to a five year contract which gives them a small raise but reduces their choice of health plans from three options to two.  The existing step schedule will be retained, but the salaries at each step will be increased by a total of 5.95% over the whole five years, or slightly over 1% per year.
Just as the teachers did when their contract was renewed recently, the support staff  have agreed to have one of the health plans formerly available to them removed from their list of choices. There are now two choices of health plans available.
Superintendent Ken Facin said the health care plan that was eliminated was expensive, and the change in health care offerings will save the District money.
The negotiations were apparently fairly amicable, as Facin said the support staff ratified the contract without any negative votes.
Facin spoke highly of the work of the support staff, which includes bus drivers, custodial workers, cafeteria workers and teaching assistants, about 80 employees.