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Lawrence paraeducators vote to consolidate bargaining under Lawrence Education Association; leaders plan state advocacy
Summary
Members of the Lawrence Education Association voted in June to be the exclusive bargaining representative for a combined classified and certified unit, a step union leaders said will create two bargaining tables under one union and expand statewide organizing.
Emerson Havzales, president of the Lawrence Education Association, told the Board of Education on June 23 that a membership vote on June 10 gave LEA exclusive bargaining rights for a unified unit representing classified and certified staff.
"June 10, we had the biggest historic win in Kansas, education history. And 95% majority, voted for LEA to represent exclusively in the bargaining unit," Emerson Havzales said during a presentation to the board. The group described the vote as a 95% yes result.
The presentation recounted the association's history and recent organizing. Leaders said the local began as Paraeducators of Lawrence (PALS) in 2015, grew from roughly 90 members to about 150, and in 2024 helped secure a roughly 40% pay increase…
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