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Classified staff urge pay schedule fixes, cite contractor costs during public comment
Summary
Classified employees and a budget technician urged the board to fix salary schedule disparities, raise medical caps, and reduce reliance on contracted parent-educator services that they say cost more than hiring district employees.
Classified staff representatives and a district budget technician used public comment to press the Lancaster School District Board of Trustees on pay equity and contracting costs.
Mariah, identified as vice president of CSEA chapter 297, read remarks for Reena Gonzalez Torres, a 20-year classified employee who described growing disparities on the district’s salary schedules. The statement said newly created positions often pay more than long-standing roles with similar responsibilities and called for schedule adjustments, a higher district medical cap and recognition for classified retirees similar to what teachers receive.
Nancy Kuransza, introduced as a budget technician, told the board the district’s reliance on contracted parent-educator services is costly. She cited figures from the transcript indicating large contract spending in special education last year and in recent months (figures as spoken in the record are not consistently formatted). Kuransza contrasted that spending with district paraprofessional wages, noting entry and top-step amounts and arguing that investing in district hires rather than contractor overhead would better retain staff.
Board members acknowledged the comments and said they are engaged in negotiations; earlier in the meeting multiple board members praised recent bargaining progress. No formal board action on compensation or contracting was recorded at the meeting; the discussion appeared to be part of ongoing labor negotiations and budget review.
