AFT Massachusetts Launches Petition to State Education Commissioner Calling for Living Wage for Lawrence Public Schools Paraprofessionals and Support Staff
Petition Calls on Commissioner Riley to Bring His Team Back to Negotiating Table After They Walked Away
Lawrence, Mass. – The 23,000-member AFT Massachusetts today launched a public petition calling on State Education Commissioner Jeff Riley to negotiate in good faith for a living wage for paraprofessionals and administrative support staff in Lawrence.
While the Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) have received $84 million in federal school relief and an $18 million increase in Chapter 70 state school aid this year (with additional substantial annual increases on the way over the next five years), Lawrence paraprofessionals and support staff are not paid a livable wage.
“They are often not able to support themselves and their families, forced to choose between food, medicine, or paying the rent,” the petition reads. “They earn far below what paras and support staff make in nearby communities, contributing to the district’s staffing crisis as experienced staff leave for neighboring districts or non-school jobs that pay better.”
“To recover from the effects of the pandemic, students need more of the instructional support that paraprofessionals provide, and families need more of the personal assistance that administrative support staff provide,” the petition continues. “That means Lawrence needs competitive wages that allow paras and support staff to support themselves and their families, so LPS can end the staffing turmoil that is shortchanging Lawrence students.”
Because LPS is under state receivership, Commissioner Riley holds ultimate accountability over LPS’ negotiations regarding paraprofessional and support staff wages and working conditions. But at the last session, Riley’s team refused to bargain further and walked away from the table.
“Lawrence can clearly afford to pay paras and support staff a living wage. And a living wage isn’t just the right thing to do for the people who care for and educate Lawrence students, it’s needed to tackle the staffing instability that is hurting students, especially those with disabilities,” said AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos. “Commissioner Riley: We’re asking you to bring your bargaining team back to the table to negotiate in good faith, so we can reach an agreement that’s good for paras, school staff, students, families, and all of Lawrence.”
To sign the petition, visit https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-commissioner-jeff-riley-lawrence-public-school-paraprofessionals-and-support-staff-deserve-a-living-wage.
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The AFT Massachusetts, a strong voice for collaborative education reform that is good for students and fair to educators, represents more than 23,000 public school employees, higher education faculty and staff, and public librarians.
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