December 18, 2023 By Nes Correnti, School Committee Chair
The Hingham School Committee and the Hingham Education Association (HEA), the organization that represents four of the seven Hingham Public Schools unions, continue to negotiate successor contracts. While the School Committee and union leaders have reached tentative agreements on a number of proposals, several key issues remain unresolved. On behalf of the School Committee, I want to take this opportunity to share some important information with the community about a topic on which the parties’ proposals remain very different: salary increases.
First, we want to highlight that the Hingham School Committee has the deepest respect and gratitude for the educators of the Hingham Public Schools. Every day, they provide outstanding instruction and support to the 3,800 students in our schools. We remain committed to providing all of our employees with a competitive compensation package that is in line with compensation offered by our benchmark towns, while also meeting our responsibility to serve as stewards of the Town’s financial resources. This responsibility includes ensuring our employment contracts can be supported by available revenue.
HEA Unit A (Teachers) Update
The School Committee’s latest offer includes an 8.5% salary increase over three years (2.5%, 3%, 3%) for all teachers. That increase (called a Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA) would be in addition to automatic annual “step increases” already built into the contract for teachers with fewer than 14 years of service. (See the 2022-2023 Salary Schedule.)
We estimate the total cost of those increases over the life of the contract to be approximately $5.7 million. The proposed increase for the first year is already embedded in the budget for the current school year, supported by the override approved by voters last spring.
More than one-quarter of Hingham teachers are at the highest step on the salary scale (13 or more years) and are “M+60” – meaning they have a Master’s degree plus at least 60 graduate credits. Today, these educators earn an annual base salary of $115,174. Under the School Committee’s proposal, these educators’ salaries would increase to $125,242 by July 1, 2025.
The HEA has proposed a higher salary increase for teachers: 19.5% over three years (6%, 6.75%, 6.75%). Those increases would require an additional $3.1 million in the current school year alone, and a total increase of $9.8 million over the life of the contract – $4.1 million higher than the latest School Committee offer. Based on projected revenue and expenses, those increases are simply not viable without increases in the residential property tax rate or significant reductions in staffing, educational programming, and extracurricular activities.
HEA Unit B (Paraprofessionals) Update
Recognizing the need for a fair wage for our paraprofessionals, the School Committee has proposed an increase to the hourly rate of an average of 27% over three years (19%, 4%, 4%). The total cost of this proposed increase over the three years is approximately $1.3 million.
The HEA has proposed nearly doubling the hourly wage for paraprofessionals over three years, by an average of almost 90% (43%, 43%, 3.5%) – at an estimated cost of $3.4 million over the three years of the contract. While we acknowledge and are attempting to address the need for increased wages for our paraprofessionals, the increases proposed by the HEA are simply not viable and would require the same property tax increases or reductions in staff, programming, and activities previously noted.
The HEA has claimed that paraeducators do not earn a living wage. The language comes from a living wage calculator created by a professor at MIT, which estimates what a “living wage” is in counties across the country, based on multiple factors. The calculator is based on a full-time, 40-hour week, 52-week work schedule (or 2,080 hours) per year. Comparatively, our paraprofessionals work approximately 52% of what is considered full-time working 181 days out of the year (1,086 hours in elementary schools and 1,177 hours in secondary school). Unlike teachers, paraprofessionals do not have responsibilities beyond the school day. The School Committee’s proposed increase in paraprofessionals’ hourly wage is designed to compensate them more appropriately for their service in our classrooms.
Additional information about the status of collective bargaining, including answers to many Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), is posted on the Contract Negotiations page of the district website.
Please be assured that we will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach agreements that fairly compensate and support our staff, while also maintaining the programs and services that are vital to a Hingham Public Schools education.
The argument that paraeducators work 52% of a year and therefore deserve 52% of a Living Wage is a horrible one. On an emotional level it sounds like you are calling paras half a person- deeply insulting at its core. On a logical level: 1) It’s difficult to cobble together the other 48% out of other jobs during the remaining hours. One job should be enough. 2) The teachers work nearly the same hours!!!! Under work to rule we’ve been doing it for months- getting all out tasks done during work hours. 3) The Living Wage we proposed is what you need to survive for a year not counting student debt or children. If you prefer to hire people with degrees who like working with children, this is still pretty absurd.
We’ll also note how you only reported the percentage increase for paras (not wages like you also did for teachers) because percentages look big and scary. But we get why- the dollar amounts of pay are so low it’s not a good look or winning argument.
-HEA president on behalf of the Unit B negotiations team
The School Committee keeps talking about these large percentages for paraprofessionals, however they are not telling the public what the actual dollar amounts are:
At the top step the dollar amount goes from $21.44 TO $25.00 NOT EXACTLY A HUGE INCREASE and increases a $1.00 for each consecutive year at the top step. The idea of talking percentages distorts the reality of the actual pay increases.
Had the School Committee kept up with giving paraeducators a fair and livable wage long ago, these “percentages” would not have needed to be “so high”. Paraeducators have been asking for a living wage for YEARS. Dedicated paras have stayed despite the insulting wages because they are just that..DEDICATED. However, that’s changing and they are leaving for reasonable and fair pay. There are no new candidates, not even any substitutes. Students lose. Full stop.
Had the School Committee given paraeducators a fair and living wage years ago, as they have been asked during every negotiation year, the high percentage being asked for would not have been necessary. Paraeducators have been underpaid from the beginning. No new candidates want to apply, no substitutes can be found. Dedicated paras are leaving and students will suffer.
Had the School Committee provided para educators a fair and livable wage years ago, this “high percentage “ would not be necessary. Para educators are dedicated to supporting teachers and students and deserve to be treated as an essential member of an education team. Many dedicated paras are leaving Hingham to go where they are paid and treated fairly. There are no new candidates to fill these positions, nor are there even any substitutes. Sadly, it’s the students who suffer.