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Union representative urges raises for paraprofessionals, hourly staff and teachers at South San Antonio ISD meeting
Summary
Tom Cummins of South San AFT told the board the district’s teacher salary schedule is frozen, some master’s-degree stipends have been cut, and hourly/paraprofessional pay lags a living wage; he urged reallocating TAP funds and savings from turnover to raise pay.
Tom Cummins, speaking for South San AFT during public comment on July 20, urged the South San Antonio ISD Board of Trustees to increase pay for teachers, paraprofessionals and auxiliary staff.
Cummins said the district’s teacher salary schedule is currently ‘‘frozen’’ and that some teachers will see their master’s-degree stipend reduced from $2,300 to $2,000, even as other master’s-degree teachers will receive raises. He argued hourly workers, paraprofessionals and auxiliary personnel ‘‘are really behind in a pay plan which would meet a living wage’’ and asked the board to make “step increases” and adjustments to close that gap.
Cummins proposed funding increases by reallocating money set aside for the TAP program and pointed to turnover as a possible source of savings, saying ‘‘with approximately 25% of the teachers leaving the district, there are large savings in that category.’’ He asked the board to do ‘‘due diligence’’ in properly funding paraprofessionals and auxiliary personnel in the coming-year compensation plan.
The board did not take formal action on his request during the public-comment period. Under district rules announced at the start of the meeting, non-agenda requests presented during public comment are referred to staff for review rather than acted on immediately.
Next steps noted at the meeting: the compensation plan appeared on the consent or regular agenda for future consideration; trustees and staff discussed compensation and budget items later in the meeting during the district’s budget workshop and consent votes.
