Education Support Professionals Negotiations
Gloucester School Committee Statement on ESP Negotiations - September 15, 2023
At the September 14th negotiation session, the Gloucester School Committee offered a historic wage increase for the Gloucester Public School Educational Support Paraprofessionals (ESPs). This wage proposal far exceeds any increase that has ever been negotiated by Gloucester Association of Educational Paraprofessionals (GAEP) and prior School Committees.
The School Committee’s final proposal:
Increases wages for current paraprofessionals between 21% and 35% over three years.
Increases annual wages of existing employees by $5,500 to $8,200 for every member over the contract.
The proposed wages are commensurate with job responsibilities and required qualifications. Further, this proposal is in line both with neighboring and comparable districts. In comparison, other city employees whose contracts have been negotiated over the past year have received average raises of 3% each year.
Thursday evening’s proposal was made possible by working with the Verga administration. In August, after extensive executive session discussions and based on additional funding that Mayor Verga guaranteed for this purpose, the School Committee’s September 14 wage proposal increased $120,000.
During these contract negotiations, there has been much talk about a “living wage” as defined by the MIT Living Wage calculator. The School Committee’s proposal ensures that all paraprofessionals will be earning at or above a living hourly wage in the next year. Paraprofessionals work 6.5 hours per day and have a 183 day work year. If paraprofessionals had a 40-hour work week and a 12-month work year, annual salaries would be between $48,700 and $55,000. Simply put, the School Committee’s proposal achieves the goal of a living hourly wage.
This historic wage proposal was rejected by GAEP, and countered with another fiscally unrealistic proposal. After nearly six months of negotiations and due to the significant difference between the group’s current financial proposals, the School Committee indicated its belief that the parties are at an impasse and that mediation is necessary. When two parties remain far apart after productive long-term negotiations, mediation can help resolve the last outstanding issues and come to an agreement. The School Committee believes that mediation by a neutral party is the most productive way forward from here.
The School Committee is disappointed that discussions have not resulted in a settlement. The School Committee’s salary proposal combined with the improvements to support paraprofessionals’ education and training put forth are unprecedented. The wage proposal is more than competitive with other districts, it provides a living hourly wage, and it is fiscally prudent given the fiscal uncertainties the Commonwealth and the city are likely to face in the coming years.
To view the School Committee’s full salary proposal from September 14 please access the links below:
Proposals Presented by Each Negotiating Team
Update from the Aug. 23 Negotiations Session
The Aug. 23 negotiation session focused on wages. The School Committee proposed a revised wage proposal that would increase paraprofessional salaries by 19% to 33% and included wage comparisons with local school districts and districts that are economically comparable. The ESP team responded by revising their wage proposal. Both of these wage proposals and the district comparisons are linked below.
Update from the June 28 Negotiations Session
The School Committee and GAEP met on June 28th. The School Committee proposed a comprehensive approach to ESP professional development that would support the skill development of ESPs and support their efforts to earn professional licensure as a teacher.
The two negotiating teams also reached tentative agreement on two more proposals, both of which are designed to strengthen ESP training and professional development - one on newly hired paraprofessionals participating in training before the start of the school year and the other on providing reimbursements for workshops attended by ESPs that are approved by the superintendent.
Proposals Exchanged on June 28
School Committee Proposal on a Professional Learning for ESPs
Update from June 6 Negotiations Session
The School Committee and GAEP met on June 6 and shared documents that consolidated the proposals and counter proposals from each negotiating team. These documents are linked below.
The two negotiating teams tentatively agreed on five more proposals including ones that increase the level of training and professional learning for ESPs and increase the stipend for ESPs in specific district-wide special education programs.
Proposals Exchanged on June 6
Update from May 22 Negotiations Session
The School Committee and GAEP met on May 22 and completed sharing initial proposals. Both sides presented their opening wage proposals which are linked below.
The two negotiating teams tentatively agreed to a few proposals including increasing the annual stipend for those paraprofessionals who work in specific special education programs.
Proposals Exchanged on May 22
Update from May 5th Negotiation Session
The School Committee and GAEP negotiating teams discussed the proposals they presented on April 27 and presented counter proposals for some of them.
The two negotiating teams tentatively agreed to the separate housekeeping proposals proposed by both sides on April 27th.
The teams also tentatively agreed to the School Committee's Proposal #1 that clarified how ESP workdays beyond the student year can be used and increased the rate for external substitutes for ESPs.
Proposals Exchanged on April 27
Tentative Agreements
As of July 18, the negotiating teams have agreed on 12 proposals - 10 GAEP proposals and 2 School Committee proposals.
Tentative Agreements reached on June 28 and finalized on July 19
Tentative Agreements reached on June 6 and finalized on June 28
Tentative Agreements reached on May 22 and finalized on June 6
Tentative Agreements reached on April 27 and finalized on May 8
Statement of Values and Intentions from the Gloucester School Committee Negotiating Team
The School Committee is committed to working toward a mutually satisfactory successor agreement. While contract negotiations can often be challenging for both parties, our School Committee Negotiating team will listen closely and work respectfully with our Gloucester Association of Education Paraprofessionals partners. It is our hope that together we will work productively and amicably toward solutions.
Values
We recognize the importance and value of Gloucester Public Schools’ Education Support Professionals.
We agree that Gloucester's Education Support Professionals play critically important roles in educating and supporting Gloucester’s public school students.
The work of Gloucester’s Education Support Professionals is essential to the effective operation of our schools.
We are aware of the changing nature of your work over the past few years and would like to hear from your team how these changes are affecting you.
We acknowledge that paraprofessionals can be provided with additional professional development that would help continue to build their skills and be even more effective with students.
We recognize that ESPs who work in specific district wide programs at times experience student behavior that is disruptive.
Intentions
During these successor negotiations we intend to offer and come to agreement on proposals that will:
Significantly increase salaries including introducing an entirely new salary schedule;
Allow ESPs to regularly participate in well-planned professional development for ESPs throughout the school year so they feel better prepared and more successful when working with students;
Allow all new ESPs hired for the new school year to complete training before they start their job. ESPs hired during the school year would participate in this training within four months of being hired; and,
Provide training to program ESPs that will improve safety conditions while working with disruptive students