As educators work without a contract, South Hadley teacher union plans protest

SOUTH HADLEY – A union representing educators in the Public Schools planed a rally Thursday afternoon at the high school to raise awareness that the unionized K-12 staff have been working more than a year without a labor contract.

The last contract expired in the summer of 2021 and the South Hadley Education Association is concerned over disagreements regarding the amount of pay raises, working conditions and the sudden loss of many paraeducators.

There have been no negotiations since June between management and the union, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

.June 26 was the last time management met with the union, union president Amy Foley told The Republican in an interview on Tuesday. When district leadership ended the talks, it said it was going to call in a state mediator, Foley said.

Acting Superintendent of Schools Mark McLaughlin, Acting Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Voyik and South Hadley School Committee member Eric Friesner have been leading the school management’s negotiating team, she said.

Prior to McLaughlin, the permanent superintendent Jahmal Mosley was leading negotiations for management, but has not been on campus for months and last attended a school board meeting March 3.

The school board says Mosley is currently “on leave, due to a personnel matter” and has appointed McLaughlin as acting school chief.

This disarray has disrupted negotiations, the union president said.

Foley, an English teacher, said the Sept. 29 rally would commence at the high school inside the library, and then the protest would move outside onto sidewalk along Newton St.

Foley said that paraeducator starting pay is $12.17 per hour, and “that’s the lowest pay rate in Hampshire County” for those in that role.

”At start of the school year (there was) more than two dozen vacant paraeducator positions” in the South Hadley school district, she said.

Emails sent Tuesday and Wednesday, and a telephone message, to School Committee Chair Allison Schlachter seeking comment, including what the district’s last best offer to the union was, so far have resulted in her saying that she would be replying via email.

Foley said the parties had been meeting in person up until June, when management broke off the talks and opted for state mediation.

She said that the union was told that the state mediator would not be meeting with the parties in person, rather, remotely, and said that this is unacceptable.

”Honestly, we’re taking a step backwards by having to go remote” for the mediation efforts, Foley said.

”The School Committee is still meeting remotely. There’s a lot that is lost,” she added.

”In person is the most inclusive way to get the community involved,” Foley said. “We witnessed that in teaching; it’s so much more effective. Last year when I went back in person, I was so grateful we went back in person.”

”We were negotiating in person through June. School Committee asked to do mediation — and state labor says they do mediation remotely, and that’s why we’re going back to remote,” she said.

Foley said the contract expired in the summer of 2021 and this is the second academic year teachers and paraeducators are working without a contract.

An online remote-access mediation session is tentatively scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The rally is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m.