Paraprofessionals push for higher pay; union and school leaders prepare to bargain over contracts

Paraprofessionals and union representatives told the Easton School Committee on Dec. 19 that current starting pay and limited benefits make it difficult to retain essential support staff, and urged immediate action on a $100,000 appropriation voters approved at town meeting to benefit paraprofessionals.

At public comment, Zachary Dyer, speaking for the Easton Educators Association, objected to the district’s earlier offer to use the $100,000 as a 1‑time stipend and called for the funds to be part of ongoing compensation. "One‑time stipends cannot responsibly address recurring needs," Dyer said. Several paraprofessionals described the gap between local starting wages and a living‑wage calculation and urged the committee to find recurring funds.

What the district said The administration told the committee it has received formal bargaining requests from the Eastern Educators Association (units A, B and paraprofessionals) and that negotiations are scheduled to begin in January. The committee’s public update said the $100,000 appropriation came from town reserves as a one‑time allocation and was not added to the department’s baseline budget; the administration reported offering the funds as a one‑time stipend but said the union rejected that proposal.

Board process and next steps The committee said it does not intend to use the $100,000 for other purposes and that the appropriation’s use for paraprofessionals will be part of collective bargaining. The School Committee scheduled bargaining preparation in executive session at the end of the Dec. 19 meeting and confirmed the first bargaining session is on the January calendar.

Voices at the meeting - Zachary Dyer (Easton Educators Association) asked the committee to adopt a "living wage" approach and said he hoped town leaders would find recurring funds to support paraprofessionals. - Several paraprofessionals described low pay, cited comparisons with local retail and fast‑food starting wages, and said rising costs of living make current salaries unsustainable. One paraprofessional said the job requires specialized skills and that paraprofessionals deserve pay that reflects their responsibilities.

Clarifying detail: the appropriation Committee members said the $100,000 was a one‑time appropriation taken from town reserves (free cash) at spring town meeting and was not added to the ongoing school department baseline budget; the committee said the appropriation remains available and its proposed use will be addressed at the bargaining table.

Quote "A one‑time stipend cannot responsibly address recurring needs," Zachary Dyer said, urging contract negotiations that secure ongoing improvements.

Speakers - Zachary Dyer, Easton Educators Association (union representative), affiliation_type: nonprofit/union - Multiple paraprofessionals and school staff who spoke during public comment (names in public comment record) - Alicia Cabral, Superintendent of Schools, government, Easton Public Schools

Actions and process The School Committee said bargaining will begin in January and the committee convened an executive session to prepare strategy for collective bargaining. The committee noted it will address the appropriation’s use within negotiations and does not plan to repurpose the funds for other uses.

Searchable tags ["paraprofessionals","collective bargaining","EEA","wages","Easton"]

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