Lawrence Public Schools staff members across the district rallied Thursday morning with “walk-ins” to let administrators and school board members know that the 54-cent hourly wage increase they’ve proposed is not enough.
Staff members, teachers and supporters rallied at Lawrence school district buildings “to remind district officials of their promises and responsibility to provide a living wage to all of its employees.”
A living wage in Lawrence for a single adult with no children is currently $20.87. “USD 497 district employees at the bottom of the wage matrix currently earn $14.02/hour,” according to a news release from the Lawrence Education Association.
The union, which now represents education support professionals such as paraeducators, custodians, secretaries and other support staff members as well as teachers, proposed a $3.10 raise for ESPs to start to close the nearly $7 hourly gap between actual pay and a living wage.
The Lawrence school district’s counteroffer in the first bargaining session on Aug. 14 fell well below that mark, “leaving hourly wages for our most vulnerable workers well below a wage that makes living in Lawrence sustainable,” the union said in the release. (Read more from the first negotiation session in this article.)
Union members ask supporters to wear red and join them ahead of the next Lawrence school board meeting at 5:45 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.
Three of seven school board seats will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. Three incumbents and four challengers have filed to run. The union’s political action committee, LEA Advocacy, has been seeking input from union members to shape school board candidate endorsements.
“However, in light of the current events related to ESP salaries, LEA Advocacy is withholding its endorsements as it evaluates the district’s response to ESPs prolonged fight for a living wage,” according to their release. “LEA Advocacy plans for an endorsement of support for school board candidates in the future, but would encourage each of the candidates to publicly provide a plan on how the district will reach the goal of a living wage for all district ESPs.”
District teachers received an $800 raise to their base pay, and elementary and high school teachers have joined middle school teachers with having two planning periods instead of one under the contract the school board approved in July.
Here are some contributed photos from rallies Thursday at buildings across the district:
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
