LIVERMORE FALLS — Regional School Unit 73 directors unanimously approved two successor work agreements for RSU 36 teachers and Jay bus drivers/custodians during the board’s first meeting Monday.

The two school systems are merging in July to become RSU 73.

The decisions came after nearly 80 minutes in executive session.

RSU 36 directors had voted in April to ratify a one-year contract with the RSU 36 Education Association. However, it turned out that the old board could not do it and it needed to be done by the new board, school officials said.

RSU 73 directors voted to approve the interim one-year contract with RSU 36 teachers Monday.

That agreement is designed to better align the two contracts, the Jay teachers’ contract and the RSU 36 teachers’ contract, RSU 36 Superintendent Sue Pratt said previously.

“This negotiated settlement involves some changes in insurance and wages with an overall impact of 2 percent for salary and insurance combined,” Pratt said previously. “The contract also brings in some language changes for the dental coverage for the teachers.”

The ratified contract better allows for a combining of groups for a new contract for RSU 73 teachers in year two of the newly formed regional school unit, she said.

The Jay School Committee had been negotiating with the Teamsters’ that covers Jay bus drivers and custodians and sent it to RSU 73 Board of Directors for approval.

The three-year interim contract gives the bus drivers/custodians a 1 percent wage increase in the first year, and 1.5 percent increases in each of the second and third year, Jay Superintendent Bob Wall said Tuesday.

There was no change to health insurance contributions, he said.

The Jay bus driver/custodians pay 18 percent of the insurance premium, he said.

The goal is to seek compatible agreements for both the Jay and RSU 36 bus driver/custodians, which will then be RSU 73 employees, when the three years is up, Wall said.

RSU 36 is in the process of renegotiating a contract with its bus drivers/ custodians, Wall said.

That will be sent to the RSU 73 directors for consideration as well, he said.

The board also approved a coaching/activities side agreement due to the combining of sports offerings during the first year, Wall said.

Both the Jay and RSU 36 boards voted to combine the new systems sports offerings during the first year of consolidation.

Jay and Livermore Falls high schools will become Spruce Mountain High School with a north and south campus on July 1.

dperry@sunjournal.com