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Paraprofessionals and unions press Springfield district to reinstate annualized pay
Summary
Paraprofessionals, nutrition services staff and union leaders urged Springfield R-XII to restore annualized pay for hourly employees, saying its removal left many without income during summer months and contributed to staff instability.
Employees and union leaders at the Springfield R‑XII Board of Education meeting Oct. 22 urged district leaders to restore annualized pay for hourly educational support staff, citing financial hardship caused by pay schedules that leave summer gaps.
Madison Henry, a cross-categorical special education paraprofessional, presented a petition with more than 1,000 signatures and said the lack of annualized pay left her without income for several weeks over the summer. "Restoring annualized pay would provide us with financial stability we need to focus on our roles," she said.
Jeffrey Pettibone, president of Springfield MSTA, expressed union support for the grassroots effort, and Debbie Dexter, speaking for Nutrition Services, described staff living paycheck to paycheck after the change and urged the board to reinstate the annualized-pay option. Laura Mullins, president of SNEA, said the district removed annualized pay two years ago, affecting approximately 1,200 hourly employees; she also said the Explore summer program was reduced to four weeks for those actually hired and that about 80% of interested employees were placed. Mullins added that some staff who attended summer training were not paid until Sept. 15, leaving them without income.
District administrators and board members acknowledged concerns and said they have discussed supports and placement options internally; the meeting record shows no formal policy vote on annualized pay. Board members thanked speakers and said administration would follow up and work with families and staff to address hardships.
Union leaders asked the district to allow employees the option to elect annualized pay; SNEA and other supporting organizations (including the Teamsters and MSTA, per testimony) urged immediate district engagement to address retention and recruitment risks.
Next steps: speakers seeking policy change requested continued dialogue with district leadership; no formal board action on the pay schedule was recorded at the meeting.
