Support-staff leader urges fair pay at West Windsor-Plainsboro board meeting

Thea Burke, president of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Service Association, told the Board of Education the district must provide “fair compensation for the educational support professional members who serve our students, families and community.” Burke, a 30-year Plainsboro resident, listed instructional assistants, secretaries, bus drivers and cafeteria staff as essential employees whose low pay forces many to take second jobs.

"Fair compensation is not simply about increasing pay. It is about recognizing professional contributions, retaining experienced employees, and ensuring that our district remains an attractive place to work," Burke said, urging the board to act to prevent turnover that could harm students.

The board heard a second public comment on the same subject from Cynthia Burke, also of 78 Parker Road in Plainsboro, who emphasized instructional assistants’ work with vulnerable students and said district pay scales leave some employees among the county’s lowest paid. "No employee who dedicates their career to serving our students should discover that their years of experience are worth less in the district than their first day on the job in a neighboring one," Cynthia Burke said.

Both speakers framed pay as a retention and student-success issue rather than a request for special treatment. The public comments were made during two allocated comment periods under board policy 0167.

Later in the meeting the board recessed into a closed executive session that the published resolution said would include a negotiations update and other personnel matters; the resolution noted any discussion not needing confidentiality would be disclosed as soon as feasible. The public record in this meeting did not include a board response to the compensation requests in open session nor a vote on any compensation change.