District 25 staffing and hiring: food service hiring hall, paraprofessional bonus push, and sign‑in protocol changes

District 25 labor and parent representatives updated the DLT on several staffing initiatives and operational changes affecting school operations and visitor protocols.

Monique Lascano, DC 37 representative, said the Office of Food and Nutrition held a revamped hiring hall system and will run a districtwide hiring hall on Saturday, April 19 at P.S. 209. She urged DLT members to share a Google form (in the chat) with families to recruit part‑time staff who want summers off; food service positions offer part‑time benefits, the representative said.

Monique also reported a personnel protocol change communicated by the union: school aides should not be used to sign in visitors. She said school aides are no longer to man front desks for sign‑ins; visitors should instead be signed in by an administrator for security and labor compliance reasons.

Lamar Hughes (UFT) reiterated a union campaign to seek a $10,000 annual bonus for paraprofessionals, framed as an annual signing bonus rather than a salary increase; he said the measure is being pursued with City Council support to improve recruitment and retention.

Rob Marino noted that while principals prepare staffing plans and hiring, final budgets and programming remain tentative pending city/state/federal funding decisions in May–June. The DLT asked staff to circulate hiring and funding updates as information becomes available.

Ending: District leaders and union reps said they will publicize the hiring hall, follow up with guidance on sign‑in procedures and continue advocacy around paraprofessional compensation.