Union asks Stamford board to award TIS Lauren Santiago 20% pay for extra classes

The Stamford Board of Education labor committee heard a grievance Jan. 16 from technology integration and support specialist (TIS) Lauren Santiago, who says she was assigned substantially more classes than her job description allowed and should receive additional pay.

The Stamford Education Association (SEA) told the committee that Santiago was asked to increase her class load and that, while the district paid about $1,500, the union seeks a 20% pay adjustment for the most recent year to reflect the extra instructional duties. The board moved into private deliberation after the presentations and said it would notify the parties of its decision later.

Why it matters: The case turns on how instructional time is calculated under job descriptions and whether extra teaching should be compensated at a 20% per‑diem rate under a memorandum of agreement (MOA). A board finding for Santiago could set a practical precedent for how the district applies the TIS/TISS job description and compensates staff assigned additional classroom time.

Union argument and grievant's account Guy Simone, speaking for the SEA, said the union asked for a 20% adjustment because Santiago had been assigned teaching duties beyond the job's stated limit. SEA president John Corcoran described roughly 18 months of negotiations with central office and said the updated job description now lists up to 16 classes (which he characterized as 60% instructional time), supporting the union's calculation that Santiago taught at a 60% level and is owed 20% for the most recent year.

Lauren Santiago told the committee she was told by principals and content leaders that TIS staff should teach a maximum of 10 classes (40%), but that in practice she taught 15–16 classes in recent years. “I was doing 16 classes,” Santiago said, adding that she performed the extra work as a team player and that the relevant numbers had not been consistently documented in writing.

District response and calculations Dr. Fernandez of central office acknowledged Santiago’s service and said the district’s position rests on applying the job description and existing MOA language. He presented the technology integration and support specialist job description and said it lists a 40% teaching limit. Fernandez said the district calculated the payment as about 1.29% over the 40% threshold at the applicable per‑diem rate, which totaled approximately $1,500.

Fernandez also noted the MOA that provides a 20% per‑diem rate in cases where the extra teaching comes out of staff members’ unassigned time; he said Santiago continued to receive her unassigned time last year, which the district views as a key distinction. “The payment that we made was based on that percentage … and it came out to approximately $1,500,” Fernandez said.

Clarifying numbers and scope Board member Andy George asked the parties to specify the remedy and whether the union sought compensation for multiple years; the union said it sought the 20% adjustment for the most recent year only. Fernandez gave a preliminary calculation for what a 20% per‑diem would mean on an annualized basis (he said the figure was roughly $23,558 and that he would verify the math). Chair Michael Larabena said the precise dollar amount did not need to be finalized during the hearing; the board could determine the exact total when making its decision.

Outstanding issues and next steps The parties disputed how instructional time should be counted (by classes, by minutes, or by portions of a day) and whether district practice varied across elementary schools. The union urged the board to uphold the grievance and warned that a denial would prompt teachers to consult the union before accepting extra duties in future.

The labor committee released the union’s representatives and moved the board, staff and its attorney into a closed breakout to deliberate. The board said it will inform the union and Santiago of its decision when it has concluded deliberations.