Demand Living Equitable Wages for All Springfield Paraprofessionals!
Springfield School Committee: Honorable Mayor Domenic Sarno, Christopher Collins, Denise Hurst, Barbara Gresham, Atty. Peter Murphy, LaTonia Monroe Naylor, Joesiah I. Gonzalez
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After working tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic without a raise, Springfield Public School Paraprofessionals are now calling on our community to stand with them in support of a living equitable wage.
After two years of negotiations with the Springfield School Committee, limited progress has been made. The lack of respect for the work Paraprofessionals do day in and day out is painfully apparent from the Committee’s offered wage increase – far below the current inflation rate.
Paraprofessionals in the Springfield Public Schools provide educational and medical support services. Para-educators assist teachers with classroom instruction, provide individualized support to students and help maintain order throughout the school day by redirecting students in the classroom, monitoring bus arrival and departure and supervising meal service. COTA’s and PTA’s provide occupational or physical therapy support. CNA’s provide students with direct health care needs and LPN’s serve as School Nurses or work in classrooms to provide medical care to the students in need of those services.
The role they play is invaluable – and local schools and families are even more dependent on the work of these dedicated individuals with the additional burdens and struggles many are facing during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, many Paraprofessionals are also Springfield residents, with deep ties to the community and children or grandchildren in the schools.
It’s time to stand in solidarity with our Paraprofessionals! Sign our petition today to demand our School Committee give our Paraprofessionals a living equitable wage!
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To:
Springfield School Committee: Honorable Mayor Domenic Sarno, Christopher Collins, Denise Hurst, Barbara Gresham, Atty. Peter Murphy, LaTonia Monroe Naylor, Joesiah I. Gonzalez
From:
[Your Name]
Our Paraprofessionals have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the Springfield Public Schools, showing up every day for our students without a raise. They play a critical role in our schools. Para-educators assist teachers with classroom instruction, provide individualized support to students and help maintain order throughout the school day by redirecting students in the classroom, monitoring bus arrival and departure and supervising meal service. COTA’s and PTA’s provide occupational or physical therapy support. CNA’s provide students with direct health care needs and LPN’s serve as School Nurses or work in classrooms to provide medical care to the students in need of those services. They have taken on many additional responsibilities through the pandemic.
The role they play is invaluable – and local schools and families are even more dependent on the work of these dedicated men and women with the additional burdens and struggles many are facing during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
A majority of our Paraprofessionals are Springfield residents, have deep ties in our community and have children or grandchildren in our schools. Many of our Paraprofessionals have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet and others struggle with planning for retirement despite dedicating decades of their lives to our students and our schools.
Our Paraprofessionals devote themselves to the future of Springfield, our children. They need wages that will:
- Encourage the recruitment of highly qualified individuals,
- Increase retention to ease the current historically high turnover rate
- Allow Paraprofessionals to benefit from the many higher educational opportunities available and
- Reflect their devotion and loyalty to the Springfield community through their many years of dedicated service.
Working multiple jobs during the school year in their struggle to pay their bills does not serve our students or our community. I call on you, Springfield School Committee, to give our paras the respect and dignity they deserve and give them a living equitable wage in their contract!