Education support personnel called for better budget choices than resolving a 20-month contract dispute through costly arbitration proceedings at last night's Board of Education meeting
TOLLAND—Paraeducators who serve Tolland's pre-K through 12th grade students appealed to elected officials at last night's school board meeting to reach agreement on a successor to their long-expired contract. Negotiations that began in March 2009 have failed to produce a mutual settlement, and the members of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 are concerned about local taxpayers bearing additional costs to resolve the dispute. Although arbitration hearings are scheduled for mid-November, paraeducators urged the Board of Education to act before any further legal fees are incurred.
"I know you face some tough budget decisions," Linda Palmer, a Tolland Middle School paraprofessional with nine years of experience serving special needs children, said at last night's meeting. "But spending our tax dollars on lawyers for costly hearings is the wrong choice for students and the paraprofessionals that serve them," Palmer, a member of the CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 chapter representing the nearly 100 paraeducators in the district's four schools, said.
Palmer and two dozen of her colleagues passed out leaflets to parents, teachers, and other school faculty prior to last night's meeting in the Tolland Town Council's chambers. The leaflet's "Put Education First" message appeals to local residents to contact the Board of Education and urge swift agreement on a fair contract for Tolland's school paraeducators.
"Your paras are making below poverty-level wages," Debbie Willet, a Tolland Intermediate School paraprofessional with 16 years of service in the district, said last night. "The starting wage for a Tolland para is $9.67 per hour, while a new Willington para would start between $15 and $18. That's just not right," said Willet, a member of the negotiating committee for the Union's local chapter.
Willet's comments refer to low wages and unaffordable healthcare, particularly compared to surrounding districts, which threaten to drive the current generation of paraeducators out of Tolland's schools. Board of Education Member Judy Grabowicz acknowledged the disparity in remarks she made following the meeting's public participation portion. She referred to her own son's experience applying for a paraprofessional position in Farmington Public Schools, where starting wages are substantially higher.
CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 retired and active public sector workers serving in state and municipal agencies across Connecticut. The union's membership includes approximately 2,400 paraeducators working in 34 local school districts and Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs). Visit www.seiu2001.org online for more information about how its members are working to deliver quality services to students and close the economic gap for education support personnel.
Tolland Paraprofessionals' Community Support Leaflet
# # #