Union members representing education support specialists hoped they would draw closer to a living wage this year, but the Lawrence school district’s offer on Thursday hit far below their mark.
Julie Donley, union bargaining chair for ESPs and special education paraeducator, said she has yet to reach a living wage after 20 years in the district.
“Why with closing two schools and eliminating different programs have we not been able to make paying your classified staff a living wage? That should be at the forefront of every conversation,” Donley said to district and board members. “You are the stewards of our public schools. And with that comes the responsibility of taking care of your own at the bottom of the pay scale. That has yet to be done.”
Around 50 ESPs — many sporting red, their union’s color — attended the first contract negotiations meeting for the 2025-26 year. The union, Lawrence Education Association, proposed a $3.10 raise.
That would bring the new hourly minimum wage up from $14.02 to $17.12. The living wage for a single adult living in Lawrence with no children is currently $20.87.
But after returning from deliberations, the district negotiations team — which includes administrators and school board President GR Gordon-Ross and Vice President Bob Byers — put a counteroffer on the table that would raise the minimum wage to around $15. Qualifying staff would continue to see horizontal movement, which is a pay increase based on years in the district.
The district’s offer would amount to a $675,000 increase — 3.5% — to the salary pool.
LEA members said this is insufficient. As paraeducators, custodians, secretaries and other support staff struggle with bills, they worry about the future.
“What do they have to look forward to in retirement? You say you want to make our wages better, but this offer is not going to do a lot,” Donley said.
ESPs were previously unionized under PAL-CWA (Personnel Association of Lawrence – Communications Workers of America) but voted to combine with the teachers under LEA beginning this year.
When the board approved the 99-cent pay increase for ESPs in 2024-25, the living wage for a single adult with no children living in Lawrence was $19.87. District and board members had said they would continue working with the union to reach their goals.
The board approved a $2.12 hourly raise the previous year, 2023-24, which brought the lowest paid staff member to $13.03. The living wage was $16.04. ESPs who rallied at the meeting when PAL-CWA and the district officially agreed on that contract had said it was the biggest raise many of them had seen in years.
Contract work happens all year, and bargaining is an annual process. The board on July 28 voted to approve an $800 increase to the base annual salary for teachers in 2025-26 after LEA and the district came to an agreement.
In addition to a wage increase, LEA seeks continued full medical, dental and vision insurance and other benefits for ESPs and items related to union leave and sick leave. The district at the meeting said it supports those requests.
LEA also asked for the creation of a salary task force to simplify the ESP salary matrix so that all can earn a living wage by the 2026-27 contract year.
The negotiations team will continue working on a tentative contract at the next meeting, which has not yet been scheduled.
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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.
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