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Paraprofessionals Press for Living Wage as Committee Approves Memorandum of Agreement
Summary
Paraprofessionals described a staffing and wage crisis during public comment and said bargaining has stalled; the school committee voted to approve a memorandum of agreement with employee representatives after members discussed negotiation updates.
Deb Flynn, president of the Wachusett Regional Paraprofessionals Association and a paraprofessional in the district for 25 years, told the Wachusett Regional School Committee during public comment that contract negotiations for paraprofessionals have “reached a crisis point.” Flynn said the independent union, formed after a decertification process, filed for mediation and had not received an economic offer from the district in more than four months.
"We will not give up on ourselves. We will not give up on our children. We know what we are worth," Flynn said, urging the committee to pay paraprofessionals a living wage.
Flynn described a severe staffing decline and pay gap. She said the district’s starting paraprofessional pay is $16.23 per hour while a living hourly wage for a…
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