The Abington Board of School Directors voted Oct. 28 to ratify a three-year contract with the Abington Secretary's Educational Support Personnel Association (ASESPA) effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The agreement restructures the unit's salary schedule, provides phased pay increases and changes employee health-care contribution rates, and directs the district and association to develop a teacher-certification pathway for paraeducators.

Christine Taylor, the district's director of human resources, told the board the contract results from a bargaining process that began in October 2024 and covers roughly 273 employees including administrative assistants, aides, paraeducators and staff nurses. "We are pleased to bring this agreement to you this evening for approval," Taylor said. She summarized a first-year salary-schedule redesign that eliminates prior steps 1 and 2, expands the schedule from an eight-step to a 13-step longevity schedule, and applies a 1% increase to the matrix plus vertical step movement retroactive to July 1, 2025. Taylor said that combination "equates for members of this unit to a 4% increase on average."

Under the contract, year two adds 1.3% to the salary matrix and $1 to the top step (step 13) with vertical step movement on July 1, 2026 (described as about a 3.5% change for the year). Year three adds another 1% to the matrix with $1 to the maximum step and vertical step movement on July 1, 2027 (described as about a 3% increase on average).

Taylor also reviewed health-care and prescription changes that mirror safeguards negotiated with other bargaining units. The agreement adds a high-deductible health plan paired with a health savings account as an option beginning July 1, 2026, and specifies employee contribution levels for the district's base plan and the new high-deductible plan over the three years (Taylor summarized base-plan employee contributions of 14% in years one and two and 15% in year three; higher contribution percentages were described for the HDHP option once it takes effect). The district will transition to Capital Rx as the pharmacy benefit manager for specialty medications and adopt RxControl and RxCap programs to manage prescription costs.

Taylor said the parties will collaborate on development of a teacher-certification pathway for paraeducators interested in becoming teachers and will explore a stipend for staff working in particularly challenging assignments; parameters and any stipend amount will return to the board for approval.

Veronica Johnson, identified in the meeting as the ASESPA president, thanked the board and administration and described the process as collaborative. "This contract goes a long way ... to showing us how much you appreciate us," Johnson said. Several board members praised support staff in remarks before the vote, citing their daily work with students and support for school operations.

The board approved the agreement by roll call. The administration said the contract results from PSBA-standard bargaining practices and that development and presentation of the resolution involved no outside expenditure beyond membership in the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

The contract as presented includes: a reconfigured 13-step salary schedule (eliminating prior steps 1 and 2), retroactive vertical step movement to 07/01/2025, matrix increases in each contract year, a new HDHP option with an HSA beginning 07/01/2026, changes in employee premium contribution rates, and prescription-plan manager changes. The board and the association will return to the board for approval of any final parameters for the paraeducator-to-teacher pathway and any stipend details.

Vote: The motion to ratify the ASESPA agreement passed by roll call (ayes recorded).