Whitman-Hanson committee approves Unit D paraprofessionals tentative agreement amid budget concerns

The Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee voted March 4 to approve a tentative agreement with Unit D paraprofessionals after public comment from parents and a prolonged committee discussion about timing and town funding.

Parent speaker Jen Chester urged the committee to move quickly to create leadership stability and finalize an interim superintendent appointment. Dawn Byers, a former committee member, told the panel she had taken part in past contract negotiations and said there was no binding past practice that required identical percentage increases across bargaining units; she asked for complete cost detail and staff counts for Unit D before a decision.

In response, Superintendent Dr. Marcus provided cost estimates and staffing counts. He said the increase for Unit D would cost $83,945 for the current year and $120,461 in FY27, and that the FY27 figure is already included in the draft budget. He said the district would need to reallocate funds and use cost savings to cover the current-year increase rather than pull from emergency reserves.

A committee member moved to table the Unit D vote until the budget work was done; other members warned that delay could prompt unfair labor practice allegations and would further delay staff certainty. After debate the committee returned to the motion to approve the tentative agreement and the motion carried. One member stated an abstention during the recorded voice responses; the meeting transcript records the outcome as approved but does not include a full roll-call tally in the posted record.

Committee members pressed administrators for more detailed accounting and contingency scenarios. Dr. Marcus said the payroll system currently reflects Unit A increases but that placeholders for Units B, C and D were included in the FY27 projections. He also provided a headcount for Unit D: 99 instructional paraprofessionals, eight non-instructional staff and three tutors.

The committee did not provide a numerical roll-call of votes in the publicly posted transcript. The committee packet and minutes should be consulted for the official roll-call and final contract text.

The approval now moves the Unit D tentative agreement to any remaining administrative steps for ratification and implementation; committee members requested additional follow-up materials on the immediate budget impacts and on protections to avoid job loss if town funding changes.