GHEC School Board approves para pay differential
GRANADA – After removing it last year, the Granada-Huntley-East Chain school board on Thursday approved a memorandum of understanding to reinstitute a 1:1 para pay differential of $2 an hour for the current school year.
This means paras who work one-on-one with a student will receive $2 more per hour above the standard pay rate. Students who receive a 1:1 paraprofessional are generally those with more significant needs or those who have a personal care assistant (PCA) outside of the school district.
Board Member Jessica Salic asked if that would be tracked by employees on their time card, and Superintendent Doug Storbeck confirmed they do.
“We monitor from a payroll standpoint,” he said. “I get the attendance of the student or students from the secretaries. I track, obviously, if the students are not here, they’re not getting it. If the para isn’t here, then they’re not getting it.”
Board Member Laura Koch said she had concerns because this is something that had gone back and forth in recent years.
“It’s just something they’re going back and forth on,” she said. “If they want it, let’s keep it. If they don’t want it, let’s not keep it. It’s somewhat frustrating we have to do it mid-year when we negotiated it a certain way. Let’s do this at negotiation, would be my suggestion.”
Storbeck said this decision is the realization of filling certain conditions and nothing different from what was communicated during the negotiation process.
“It was negotiated not to put in and subsequently put in again,” he said. “Maybe we can say, if it’s not negotiated in next time around, that it won’t be considered.”
Business Manager Brian Mittelstadt also indicated that some of the paras here now were not here for last year’s decision or the decision before that. This means there are potential differences of opinion coming in during each negotiation cycle.
After a motion by Ken Madsen and second by Laura Koch, the memorandum of understanding was approved unanimously.
In other news:
— Koch asked to clarify that people will not be receiving mail-in ballots for the upcoming referendum unless they’re specially requested. If that’s the case, Koch said people who are used to getting ballots in the mail, such as those in rural townships, may be waiting on something that isn’t coming. Storbeck said he doesn’t have easy access to communicate with all the residents in outer regions of the district, but they would work on spreading the word so people know.
— Principal Andy Walden said homecoming week was a success, with very few snafus. He said the fun run participation numbers were down, but it was much warmer than usual, so that could make up a good portion of that decrease.