Schools
Paraprofessionals, School District Reach Agreement in Contract Negotiations
After early contention, the school district and paraprofessional union were able to come to terms Tuesday.
Tim Riddle, the president of the bargaining unit for the paraprofessionals in the school district, said due partly to the efforts of Assistant Superintendent Genie Slone the union and the Board of Education (BOE) have tentatively agreed to a contract that “breaks new ground” and “provides recognition” for his 70 members.
“We’re thrilled with what has been offered and that it was handled very swiftly,” he said in a phone interview following Tuesday night’s negotiations.
Riddle said he “can’t talk” about the details, since the union members won’t take a ratification vote until at least Thursday, but that there is improvement on salaries and other issues.
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He said in an earlier interview that under the current contract, which expires June 30, that the starting salary is about $13 an hour for the paraprofessionals, all of whom are certified, with some holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Riddle said paraprofessionals with 20 or more years of experience have a salary of about $20 an hour.
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BOE Chairman Ray DiStephan was unavailable for comment.
Riddle said he was pleased that the tentative new contract was completed in five weeks, noting that the last agreement took 18 months to complete.
The paraprofessionals had held a rally near the entrance to the Municipal Center on Pocono Road Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to “augment” their profile as they entered that night’s negotiating session.
“The tenor of the last negotiations was contentious and that wasn’t good for either side,” Riddle said. “This time there was more of a collaboration.”
“Genie Slone was a key player in the success of the negotiations on the new contract,” he said, referring to the assistant superintendent, who has held that position for about two years.
“We’re happy,” said Riddle. “We feel that we’ve been recognized, which is something that I think some of our members haven’t felt in years. It’s a big turnaround.”
He said the BOE would likely vote on the tentative agreement Wednesday at its regular meeting and that his members were likely to hold a ratification vote on Thursday.
