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Educator letter warns pay freeze and end of Care ATC are hurting staff morale
Summary
A written comment read at the July SSD Board meeting said employees are facing a pay freeze while losing the Care ATC benefit, increasing workloads and lowering morale; the writer urged greater transparency and earlier notice about program reviews.
A written comment from Julie Smith, read aloud to the Special School District of St. Louis County Board of Education, said the district's recent decisions 'including a pay freeze and the decision to discontinue Care ATC'have left employees feeling less supported.
"My name is Julie Smith, and I wanted to share how disappointed I am with several of the district's recent decisions, including the pay freeze and most recently, the decision to discontinue Care ATC," the letter read. Smith said teacher relocations, extra paperwork for IEPs, and due-process stress have increased workloads for special-education staff.
Smith told the board employees were never informed that Care ATC was under review and said that lack of transparency prevented staff from boosting participation or offering feedback. She said that while individually changes may seem manageable, together they "chip away at morale." The letter noted staff out-of-pocket costs including more than $500 per month for dependent insurance and that some employees have taken additional jobs to make ends meet.
The comment asked the board to consider how decisions that reduce benefits and freeze pay affect classroom services and staff retention and requested that the full letter be posted with the meeting minutes.
