Teachers assistants who rejected their contract in October asked the Evanston-Skokie School District 65 school board to reconsider their concerns at Monday night’s board meeting. But they dismissed any rumors of an imminent strike.
Teachers assistant Virginia Garrison asked the board to appreciate the assistants’ contributions to education while reviewing the proposed contract, which to TAs represents a pay cut.
The proposed four-year contract includes a 1 percent pay raise next year, and one-half percent pay raises in the next two years. But assistants say those pay raises are negated when the district’s increasing health insurance costs are factored in.
Garrison and other teachers assistants went to the board because they believe their contracts don’t adequately represent the work they do.
“Without us, we’re leaving children behind,” Garrison said.
Assistant Marcia Larmee said requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act complicate the matter even further. The federal law requires more instructional staff development — which means assistants must take six to 10 hours of college classes during the next four years.
“More education for less pay,” Larmee said.
But assistant Suekina Milam said they are not ready to take drastic measures — there’s no threat of an imminent strike.
“A lot of people are like, ‘They’re going to strike!” Milam said. “No, we never said that. Overall, we just want it to be known that we are still in the process of talking with the district.”
Addressing the teachers at the end of the meeting, Interim Board President Hecky Powell assured the assistants that their voices would not go unheard.
“I just wanted to let you know that even if you don’t think so, we value everybody,” Powell said.
Speaking for the board, he said the concerns the assistants brought to the board would receive full attention.
Adaptive Physical Education teacher Heather Shaffer said the assistants at Park School — an alternative school in the district — have responsibilities that go beyond the layman’s understanding of their job.
“I know that all the TAs in the district have the same basic job description — to assist the teacher with instruction,” Shaffer told the board in a formal presentation. “However, at Park the job description also includes changing diapers, hand feeding, positioning and behavior intervention. They assist in making our school safe.”
Shaffer said assistants at Park School, 828 Main St., make the school run — and without their assistance, the District would not be able to adequately serve its special needs students.
Some students at Park School need staff to help feed them and change diapers — basic needs the district must provide under the law.
“I am afraid that our TAs will go on strike and that would render our school incapable of serving the basic needs of our students and would legally place us out of compliance,” Shaffer said. “In effect, we would not be able to open our doors.”
Although assistants said no strike is impending, they said their union representative will continue negotiations with the district.
The assistants said they received the proposed contract in early October but rejected it later that month. They have been working without a contract since the beginning of the school year.
Reach Ben Clark at [email protected].