One union, rather than two separate for classified and certified staff, will represent all unionized Lawrence school district employees moving forward.
Classified staff — also referred to as education support professionals, which include paraprofessionals, food service workers, custodians and others — selected Lawrence Education Association as its exclusive bargaining representative. The majority, 95%, of voting members voted in favor.
LEA previously represented only certified staff — teachers and administrators — and PAL-CWA represented classified staff. Fusing into one local union strengthens them, and classified staff will now be part of the National Education Association, the largest union in the country, according to a news release Monday.
“We are so excited to be in LEA and KNEA (Kansas National Education Association),” Julie Donley, Lawrence school district paraeducator, said in the release. “We are going to be part of a statewide campaign to fight to win union rights and a living wage for thousands of ESPs all across our state.”
Classified staff members in September began joining LEA in solidarity, the release said. In the next few months, classified staff members gained signatures to file for an election necessary to gain bargaining representation under LEA.
The Lawrence school board had approved a $1,400 increase to teachers’ base annual salaries for the 2024-25 year. Additionally, qualifying teachers saw either or both vertical and horizontal movement, which refer to pay increases based on years of experience and levels of certification, respectively.
PAL-CWA has been advocating for a living wage, which is currently around $20.87 for a single adult with no children living in Lawrence. That living wage was $19.87 this time last year, when the board approved a 99-cent pay increase for classified staff members, putting their lowest starting wage in 2024-25 at $13.03.
“If we are truly going to win a living wage for all school employees and secure the funding our students and schools desperately need, we need to join forces and be part of a much more powerful statewide union of public school staff,” LEA President Emerson Hoffzales said in the release.
After years of organizing, PAL-CWA determined the problem at the root of inadequate wages is the Kansas Legislature, according to the release. Ross Allison-Natale, Lawrence school district special education teacher, said the state has a surplus that should be going to schools.
“This move is not merely a change of affiliation; it is a strategic step toward advocating for better working conditions and funding for public schools,” Allison-Natale said in the release. “By becoming members of the Lawrence Education Association and the Kansas National Education Association, Education Support Professionals can take their fight for a living wage and fully-funded schools directly to the state legislature.”
Hoffzales said organizers plan to discuss the news at Monday’s board meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. An LEA update was added to the meeting agenda as a report.
Follow LEA on Instagram, @lawrenceedassoc, and Facebook to stay up to date on the organization’s work.
Note: This post was updated to include a more recent photo.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
