Peabody Teachers To Rally For Paraprofessionals' Pay Increase

PEABODY, MA — Members of the Peabody teachers' union plan to rally at Tuesday night's School Committee meeting in support of better wages for district paraprofessionals.

The American Federation of Teachers said on Monday that more than 100 members of the Peabody Federation of Teachers will rally behind the call for a "living wage for Peabody paraprofessionals."

The Federation said district paraprofessionals have been without a contract since September and that the "current low wages ... are hurting the ability of the Peabody Public Schools to meet the needs of all students, especially those with disabilities."

"Paraprofessionals are critical to Peabody's schools, especially our most high-needs students," Doreen Blaisdell, a paraprofessional at the South Memorial Elementary School, said in a statement to Patch on Monday. "Our district is consistently losing paraprofessionals to neighboring communities due to paraprofessionals feeling underpaid and undervalued.

"We are collectively advocating for more sustainable pay and working conditions in order to reflect the important role that we play within our schools."

Many North Shore districts have struggled to hire and maintain paraprofessionals — whose job is to assist teachers with classroom instruction, provide individualized support to students and students with disabilities, monitor bus arrival and departure, as well as perform essential tasks within school buildings — during the current school year.

Districts, such as neighboring Salem, have offered hiring bonuses of up to $1,000 for "intensive paraprofessional positions."

Patch did not immediately hear back from an email to the Peabody Superintendent's Office seeking comment on the rally and contract situation.

The Peabody Federation of Teachers said the rally is planned for 6:30 p.m. at Tuesday's School Committee meeting at Higgins Middle School at 85 Perkins Street.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)