photo by: Journal-World

Lawrence Public Schools district offices pictured in April 2021.

The Lawrence school district may soon have an official contract with a labor union representing the district’s classified staff. The proposed contract would provide a slight increase in pay for staff members.

The school board on Monday will consider ratifying the district’s first contract with PAL-CWA, a union that represents paraeducators, custodians, office staff and other employees. The ratification is listed in the meeting’s consent agenda, which allows the board to approve several items at once without discussion.

In a memo to the board members, district administrators said the district and the union came to a tentative agreement after 16 meetings and a majority of the contract includes language already listed in the district’s employee handbook for classified staff. Some significant changes include the creation of a joint labor-management committee, which aims to improve communication between the staff and district leaders, and the addition of professional development for the classified staff.

Hannah Allison-Natale, the interim president for the union, told the Journal-World Friday that the union members had approved the contract. If the board ratifies it, the contract will become official.

As the Journal-World previously reported, the district and the union reached a tentative agreement with a 0.24% pay increase, which is roughly $48,000 of overall compensation for the union’s members. The teachers union and the district’s administrative staff also received compensation increases at the same rate.

Wage increases were a major issue for PAL-CWA, with members telling the school board they are paid less than a living wage.

The increase in the agreement is small, but wages could increase again later this fall. Board member G.R. Gordon-Ross told the Journal-World earlier this month that the board offered to re-open negotiations with the union for the purposes of discussion about increasing wages again sometime this fall. That was the same option the board offered the teachers union during its contract negotiations, where the teachers acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic had made the district’s budgeting situation difficult. Gordon-Ross said the district reopened negotiations with the teachers earlier this month.

“The budget constraints of the district put us in a position where both sides needed to recognize that the best option was to get a contract now and use this year … to then tackle financial issues going forward,” Gordon-Ross said of the PAL-CWA proposed contract. “As soon as that contract is finalized, we’re going to go right back into it and start work on the financial piece.”

Meanwhile, Allison-Natale told the Journal-World at the time that the union was happy to have an agreement, but the union still believed the district needed to work harder to provide better wages for classified staff.

“We will continue to fight until all staff make a living wage and our schools are fully staffed so that we can provide the best education for our children,” Allison-Natale said.

In other business, the board will hear a report on the safe and supportive schools section of the district’s strategic plan. That section of the strategic plan specifically calls for the district to work on encouraging positive behaviors among students and establish a connection for all students to their schools and peers.

Some of the actions the district listed to help in those areas include building relationships with students, incorporating restorative practices and implementing mental health resources, among other things.

The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the boardroom at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. The meeting is open to the public, but the district may limit attendance because of the pandemic.

Those who attend will be required to wear masks. The district also encourages the public to watch the meeting on Midco channel 26 or online at youtube.com/USD497.

Those who want to speak during public comment, either in person or online, must send an email to PublicComment@usd497.org before the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Additionally, anyone who wants to share comments with board members via email may send them to schoolboard@usd497.org.