On Monday, June 26, the Verona Education Association (VEA) held a rally at Verona High School to show support for the negotiation team currently in mediation with the Board of Education. The issue at hand is the development of a contract and salary guide for the paraprofessionals of Verona.
Chris Tamburro, president of the VEA, states, “Our paraprofessionals primarily serve our special needs students, helping them grow academically, socially, and emotionally. They ensure the safety and well-being of the students from the time they arrive in the morning until the time they leave in the afternoon. They collaborate with teachers in supporting educational programs and collecting the necessary data and information so the most vulnerable students can succeed in the least restrictive environment,” said Tamburro.
In May of 2016, the paraprofessional staff voted to join the labor association. At present the district’s 68 paraprofessionals are not working under contract or salary guide. Their main concern has been the inequity of salaries in Verona.
Verona Board of Education has been paying newly hired paraprofessionals at an average of $13.75, even as much as $14.40, while many of the current staff working with our children for years, even a decade, continue to make substantially less. In addition, Verona paraprofessionals are among the lowest paid in the state.
The negotiations process was declared at impasse by the state Public Employees Relations Committee. The association’s negotiating team requested a mediator from the state in order to help in the negotiations’ process.
Tamburro continues, “Several trained and experienced paraprofessional colleagues have left Verona to work in surrounding districts. This impacts all our students since the paraprofessionals help build an engaging, exciting, and rewarding community of learners.”
Diane Romano, a paraprofessional who has worked for 10 years in the district states, “Paraprofessionals in nearby districts earn considerably more than Verona, and several nearby districts offer health benefits Verona does not” said Romano. “In addition other districts provide their paraprofessionals paid sick days, Verona currently is not offering sick leave to its paraprofessionals even though this is required by the state. For now, we just want to receive a fair wage for the work we do.”
The VEA is an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) and represents the teachers, nurses, librarians, guidance counselors, child study team members, specialists, therapists, technicians, secretaries, and custodians.
