Fair Contract for Weymouth ESPs and Administrative Assistants = Great Schools for Weymouth Families
Weymouth School Committee
Dear Valued Community Member,
The Weymouth Educators’ Association humbly asks for your support in our current negotiations with the Weymouth School Committee. The WEA has been in negotiations with the school committee for months with limited progress.
The WEA is seeking a living wage and improved working conditions for all Education Support Professionals (ESPs) and Administrative Assistants in the Weymouth Public Schools.
Education Support Professionals are Paraeducators, Clerical, Library, Security, Special Education supports, Registered Behavioral Technicians/ Applied Behavioral Analysis Assistants, Certified Nursing Assistants, Child Care Specialists at WHS ECEC, and Administrative Assistants in our schools.
ESPs and Administrative Assistants are the heart of the Weymouth Public Schools providing critical academic, social, and emotional support to all students. Our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions.
Sponsored by
To:
Weymouth School Committee
From:
[Your Name]
We the undersigned believe that Weymouth Educational Support Professionals (ESPs) and Administrative Assistants deserve the following as professional educators, and for the benefit of all students in the Weymouth Public Schools:
A Living Wage: ESPs and Administrative Assistants in Weymouth Schools are currently paid below the poverty level for Norfolk County. One job should be enough. We are asking the Weymouth School Committee to commit to ensuring all employees of the Weymouth Public Schools earn, at minimum, a living wage.
Health & Safety: All students and educators in Weymouth Public Schools deserve healthy and safe working and learning environments.
Paid Family and Medical Leave: Massachusetts state law guarantees all new parents 8 weeks of paid family medical leave, but exempts public employees. Weymouth ESPs and Administrative Assistants are asking for paid time to support our own children, just as we support the children of Weymouth.
Job Security: Currently, ESPs and Administrative Assistants in Weymouth are not afforded any job security and do not know if they will have a job from one year to the next. This instability causes unnecessary anxieties that impact both ESPs and the students they support. All educators deserve the same basic protections of just cause.
Recognition as Educators: Weymouth ESPs are asking that the district provide mentorship opportunities for all staff, including ESPs and Administrative Assistants. These programs are proven ways to improve educator retention, and have a direct and positive impact for students.
Affordable Education/Professional Development: ESPs and Administrative Assistants are members of our school communities, and the broader Weymouth community. Weymouth ESPs and Administrative Assistants are seeking more affordable continuing education opportunities and meaningful professional development to better ourselves for the betterment of our students.
We are the unified voice of educators, parents, students, and concerned community members of Weymouth. Educators uplift the quality of our schools and the daily lives of our children. We believe that the school committee and the WEA share a common interest in creating and developing a school system based on excellence. With the federal and state stimulus monies from the American Recovery Act and the Student Opportunity Act, we have a major opportunity to improve our schools and support our educators.
We should prepare for Weymouth’s future by making the necessary investments into the Education Support Professionals (ESPs) and Administrative Assistants who serve our families each day.