Pay Freeze For Parkland Support Staff This Year

Written by Tom De Martini

Parkland School District's unionized support staff will see their wages frozen for the 2013-14 school year, but will receive 2.5 percent raises in the following two years.

The district's three-year contract with the Parkland Education Support Professionals Association was approved Tuesday night by the Parkland School Board at its agenda meeting. The contract runs from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2016.

The Parkland Education Support Professionals Association represents 600 employees in more than 32 different job categories in the district. It includes full and part-time custodians, maintenance personnel, bus drivers, food services, secretarial/clerical employees, as well as paraprofessional positions and instructional aides, health room aides and playground aides.

"It was a very good, very collegial, very collaborative process," said Parkland School District Superintendent Richard Sniscak. "I believe the end result is a fair contract that is fiscally responsible, while rewarding our employees properly for their skills and dedication to the important and varied roles they play in our school district operations. I look forward to continued labor peace in Parkland."

Brian Everett, the Parkland Education Support Professionals Association's President, said the contract "is a positive step for the 33 distinct jobs groups that we represent."

Business Administrator John Vignone said the school district budgeted for a pay freeze for support staff in the 2013-14 budget.

"All groups have taken a freeze and this was their turn," he said. 

Parkland administrators took a pay freeze in the 2011-12 school year, while teachers and guidance counselors had salaries frozen in the 2012-13 school year.

The contract's monthly medical benefit contribution for a traditional Blue Cross Indemnity medical plan is $62 per month for a single person and $224 per month for families.

Medical contributions for support staff who select PPO coverage will be frozen at no cost for the 2013-14 school year. However, support staff will see an increase to $10 per pay period for singles and $20 per families in the 2014-15 school year. That will increase to $15 for singles and $30 for families in the 2015-16 school year. Pay periods are bi-weekly.  

Vignone said 70 percent of support staff choose PPO medical coverage.