Members of the DeKalb Federation of School Assistants (DFSA) and supporters picketed outside the District 428 Education Center for the third day this week on Friday evening.
As their union representatives negotiated a new contract inside the district office on South Fourth Street, the school assistants stood outside in a light drizzle, holding signs and chanting for “a livable wage, equal training, and professional treatment.”
“[We expect] to be treated like the professionals that we are,” said Bettina Ball of Rochelle, who is a teaching assistant at Dekalb High School. “We’re not just moms out there working at the schools anymore; we’re actually professionals who are hired to do a job. We’re working with kids, handling things, doing lessons every day.”
There were also teachers holding signs and chanting in support of the assistants, and Ball said that they know they have a lot of people behind them, including all of the different unions in the district. She said they would remain out there Friday night until their negotiating team tells them to go home.
“They’re in there working really hard for us and we appreciate everything they’re doing,” said Ball. “They’re in there for hours, till nine o’clock at night sometimes.”
Ball said if things don’t go right tonight, they will be out there picketing in front of 901 S. Fourth Street as many days as they need in order to get people’s attention.
In 2014, when they signed their last contract, DFSA represented 229 District 428 employees, including health, security, teaching and office assistants. The salaries of those employees accounted for about 7% of the district’s budget at the time.
Earlier this month, the district announced that they would be receiving an additional $2.8 million in funding from the state because of the new school funding formula. This created a $2.4 million operating surplus, based on the current budget.
Update: The District 428 School Board and DFSA reached a tentative agreement Friday night. Details of the agreement have not yet been released.
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86 Comments
Iâd love to see how your schools run without Paras and anyone feeling the âitâs an entry level job, they should go get a different oneâ can suck it. You might get some great Paras who just love these kids, but you also might be getting what you pay for.
Kristin Howarth Zissler, Ruby Chambers Interesting
My property tax went up by almost $1000 this year. Everyone needs to remember where the money comes from.
Wow, lucky you, you must own some amazing property. Mine went up $107.
Are you including in the cost of your benefits in your base salary; if not you should be as well as any others benefits received. Furthermore, if you believe your taxes are high, do you realize why that is?? If you reside within the district you teach or work as a para, you are contributing toward your wages/benefits. So the more you want in wages, then ultimately it will be reflected in taxes. This applies to anyone that receives compensation from a source that is supported/funded by taxes.
Pat, I haven’t seen “official” numbers, but the $12,000 being quoted is minimum wage, and is less than the poverty level for one person. I don’t believe poverty level takes the cost of health insurance / health care into account.
Amy Fontana, blessings and thanks to you for always replying to the misinformed with facts, spirit, grace, and patience. Keep fighting the good fight.
I stand with the amazing assistants who I work with everyday. They happily work in many different, difficult and wild situations with barely any compensation. They deserve the world for what they do for our students.
We will ALWAYS support you Dekalb school assistants!!!
Greedy?!? Do you have any idea what they get paid here?? Even with a degree full time salary is approx $12,000 annually! Could you support a family on that income? Think of how many are single parents, working with and for YOUR children every single day. There are classroom assistants, media assistants, health assistants (aka nurses), reading specialists, special education assistants, and so many more. These individuals are there with your littles every single day, supporting them in the schools, and you think asking for more than $12k a year is greedy? Absolutely not.
Quick! School district has a surplus. Letâs be greedy and grab that money before they can use it for the kids!
I think paying a competitive wage to keep and recruit quality paraprofessionals who work directly with the students is one of the best ways to âuse it for the kidsâ.
Allison Peters they already earn a suitable wage for their position. Itâs entry level and requires minimal education and experience. Anyone with an Associates that can pass the exam can become an aide. Being a substitute teacher requires more education.
You get that the paraprofessionals are the people who: take kids off the busses, supervise breakfast and lunch, provide SECURITY to MS and HS kids, lead small groups, and on and on…
Just because itâs entry level doesnât mean that they ought not to be paid what they are worth. There are many positions in this town that they can go without even an associates and make 4x that in pay.
Amy Fontana thatâs great. They do a good job. They still are not a lead teacher. Until a few years ago, they werenât even required to be licensed. Everything you just described to me sounds like a babysitter. Also, if they arenât armed and trained in how to provide true security, they donât provide security. They observe. If they are trained in true security, why does the school need security on staff?
Gelaine Gushi so maybe they should go get those jobs instead of whining and demanding more pay for the same level of service.
Maybe they should. Then the schools would be floundering to provide services which they are required to provide, and the students in the community will suffer.
Trevor A Elliott, maybe your babysitter helped teach you to read, but mine did not. The security assistants are the ones breaking up fights, keeping kids out of places they donât belong, etc. There is ONE SRO at DHS and one split between the middle schools (I believe?)…the assistants provide what day to day security we have.
Trevor A Elliott also, Iâve been teaching 18 years, and our assistants have always had to hold a paraprofessional certification.
But on the other hand, we also have to realize that the town that is taking a massive amount of money out of the pockets of its residents will have an excuse to pull more, rather than use the funds more wisely. ð
I work for a private company that has a comparable position and the starting pay is around $30,000 for full time. Even if you take out the summer months that would still be way more than a paraprofessional is making. I believe the difference is about $8 hourly.
I encourage everyone to pull their children out of the school system and homeschool them. Most (of course not all) children would be better off. ð and then they donât have an excuse to be ripping off its citizens.
Amy Fontana my mistake. You are correct, theyâve always been required to have a license but have not always been required to have a degree. Also, when I was in school, teacher did all of the tasks you listed and they still do those things in a lot of schools. Why do teachers today earn so much more but are expected to do less? We didnât have all of these aides. Special needs children had aides.
Trevor A Elliott not all teachers get aides. Only those that have students that need them. (But that often ends up with most teachers having aides in their room.)
Allison Peters thatâs the private sector. Good for your company. Maybe they should hire some of these people. $12 per hour max. Start at $9. $0.50 pay raise per year until you hit max.
Trevor A Elliott you really have no clue about the work that paraprofessionals and teachers do. Your statements couldnât be more wrong.
Gelaine Gushi so you admit that our educators are overpaid for they services they provide? That children would be better not going to a public school?
Taxes have always been or supposed to, be to cover Public Education! 70 years ago my parents paid taxes and 5 of us Chamberlains Got the best education! We were blessed. And in a very special place! We have seen many changes in all these years but never have complained about supporting the education of our children. These people “paras’ are part and parcel of any good school district! Go Amanda Marie Riego and all her co-workers!