The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees will meet next month to vote on a budget for next year. Part of the proposed budget from UK President Eli Capilouto includes an increase in benefits for nearly all employees of the university and UK Healthcare.
Those increases include a proposed 1.5% raise for all eligible UK and UK Healthcare employees. Jay Blanton is a spokesman for the University of Kentucky. He said it is important for the university to care for its people.
“Taking care of our people also means taking care of people in our campus community, the very people who do the work of this place and who make that mission that we have as an institution real, to advance Kentucky in all that we do.”
However, some university employees are not satisfied with the raise. Blanton said that after hearing from faculty and staff, Capilouto is also expanding some leave benefits for employees.
“Right now parental leave is two weeks, we're going to expand that to four weeks, elder care leave is currently one week, the plan is to expand that to two weeks. That too, if the board approves it will take effect July first.”
Blanton said it is important to mention that these changes apply to most employees but not everyone. Employees of Beyond Blue, the holding company for UK's community hospitals in Morehead and Ashland, have different compensation and benefits plans, and these changes will not apply to them.
The UK Board of Trustees will meet on June 12th and 13th to vote on the proposed budget.
