View the public comments and noteworthy statements from the 5/19/2022 D158 School Board Meeting below.
At this meeting. many D158 staff and members of HESPA spoke about the low rate of pay they receive and the extremely trying, difficult work conditions they experience.
The unity of these staffers coming in to fight for what they want was impressive. However, the board voted in favor of cuts 6-0 (with one board member absent). There was no dissent. No one asked how much it would cost to increase funding. No one asked if the district was doing the right thing for the students and teachers.
Our district has a $118 million budget, and we feel that these issues should have been explored before voting unanimously, especially in light of the outpouring of public support for our schools’ staff.
1:47: Staff member has had hours cut and taken two pay freezes to “help the district out.” She states that the district is bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars and that they want to be paid what they deserve.
1:50: Staff member outlines responsibilities of many staff members and says it is critical that HESPA members are given the contract that they deserve.
1:52: Statement from a special education teacher who works at Mackeben with students with social, emotional, and behavioral needs and describes the challenging work that the staff does.
1:55: Statement from a teacher who points out that many positions in the district remain unfilled and the overwhelming need for caring professionals who develop rapport with students, change youth/adult diapers, and feed them. She asks for a competitive hourly rate.
1:59: Statement from parent of a nonverbal 3rd grader describes the incredible aid her child has received, and that these people are her “school moms,” adding “I stand behind them and hope that they get their fair pay. They deserve it.”
2:01: Staff member speaks in support of a “fair living wage for all educational support professionals.” States that there is a shortage of at least 20 people in special ed, and that these jobs are paid less than retail, and also paid less than the people who work at the Huntley High School coffee shop.
She points out that her first raise at Burger King in 1995 was .55, and her raise this year at D158, in 2022, was .60, asking if wages of professionals aren’t worth more than fast-food staff, 25 years later. These district positions start at $13.87 per hour, while fast food restaurants around our area start at $14.00 per hour. She points out that sporting officials at district sports games make $18.00 per hour, yet people with 20 years’ experience in district are still making less than that, adding “It’s sad that this is how we reward our dedicated loyal employees who help with the students with the most needs.”
She also notes that these staffers are subject to “spitting, hair pulls, bites that break skin, scratches and scars, bruising, head butts, and kicks” from the special needs students, adding “we’ve had urine, fecal matter, and vomit on us at one time or another,” adding that they receive an extra $7.00 per day to deal with bathroom and hygiene issues for these students.
She closes by pointing out that District 158 considers itself a “Destination District” for “All Students Always,” but they do not provide a fair wage for these staffers.
2:05: Staff member speaks about the rate of pay she and her co-workers receive at the schools. She says she loves her job and loves the kids, but at work she gets bit, her hair is pulled, and she leaves work with scratches on her arms and pinch marks all over her body “depending on where the students can grab us.” She adds that sometimes they draw blood and she has to be put on an antibiotic.
For this, “I make less than my 16-year-old working his first job. I make more money per hour working [school] sporting events than I do caring for the children. I feel there is something seriously wrong with the system. We deserve to be paid for the work we do. If we matter, prove it.”
2:07: Nurse from Martin Elementary says “I feel very strongly that the support staff in this district are not being paid a fair, living wage.” She discusses working through the pandemic and keeping the school safe, noting that it is a fact that surrounding districts pay their staff more, and because of this, “District 158 has had a difficult time filling open nursing positions.”
She states that the district then hires nurses from agencies, who make more money “with no real commitment to the district,” and says it is very discouraging to work alongside a temporary worker who makes more than she does… “$13.37 an hour, can you believe that? We could have worked at Aldi and made more money stocking shelves,” adding that D158 pays $19.00 per hour to chaperone prom or work a sporting event. “We strive to be a ‘Destination District,’ but for whom? Our staff needs to be paid in a fair, respectful, dignified way.”
2:11: Statement from special education teacher details the unique needs of the special-needs children and the paraprofessional staff that helps those with disabilities. “They wipe noses, bottoms, tears, and scrapes,” adding that these staffers are supported and loved, and the teacher stands with them.
2:16: D158 teacher of 22 years with three degrees says that she is well-qualified to teach but cannot do so without the paraprofessional staff. She cannot meet the legal requirements of IEPs without them and cannot meet the goal of “All Students Always” without them either. “They deserve to earn a living wage.”
2:20: Parent speaks of his experience with his special-needs daughter and the district staff, adding that they deserve a living wage competitive with other area districts. His wife is an aide at Marlowe and says she is so physically exhausted by this job that she crashes for an hour and a half after school each day. “It is absolutely disgusting to hear that someone can go to a fast food joint and make more than a paraprofessional who is taking care of our children.”
He notes that the district rapidly approves funding for things like solar panels and electric buses and wholeheartedly asks that the wages be made competitive.
2:24: Staffer says she believes they have students at the forefront of decision-making but is concerned about the wages and low pay raises being considered, but starting pay of $13.62 per hour. Custodial starting pay is $14.12 an hour. Library aides make $16 per hour after working for the district for nine years.
Yet, the paraprofessionals are required to be college educated and maintain recertifications. “Companies like Target Aldi, and Costco value their employees and pay them $17, $20, and $24 an hour,” and asks the board to give this heartfelt consideration.
2:29: Leggee elementary supervisor states that their hours will be reduced from 5.5 hours a day to 2.5 hours a day starting next year. They will also lose sick, personal, bereavement, and retirement plans. She adds that they already only make minimum wage and that this is difficult with the current inflation occurring.
She adds that when they signed their new contracts, they did not contain any information about this hours and benefits reduction. She outlines the numerous jobs these staffers do each day for minimum wage, and that this turn of events is “extremely disappointing and unfair. Who is going to fill in that gap? We feel completely used, unappreciated, and taken advantage of… We are curious who made this decision and why.“
2:33: Leggee elementary supervisor reads a letter of appreciation from a Leggee teacher for all of the work she does assisting in the school.
2:35: Leggee elementary supervisor describes her job and says that they are the bottom of the pyramid structure in the district, below teachers and admin, because they are the foundation. She said she was never notified that her hours would be cut until recently, and it has made her feel very unappreciated. “An argument I have heard is volunteers are coming back.” She adds that volunteers are inconsistent and never known when they will appear, but “our hours were cut in half to save on the budget.” She asks the board to reconsider this decision.
2:38: Mother shares her appreciation for the support staff and urges the district to do better by these workers. She reads a letter from her son about the questionable decisions in the schools.
2:42: Mother says that she supports all of the staff here tonight asking for fair pay. She shares concerns from D158 Parent Union parents about alternative pronouns being taught at other Illinois districts. Evanston-Skokie District 65 is currently teaching pronouns “ze, zir, and tree” to Kindergarten through 3rd grade. The parents feel that this is radical and very confusing for children.
She adds that other schools around the country are charging students with Title 9 sexual harassment charges or expelling them for using the “wrong pronouns.” She asks for a curriculum review process for parents, as D158 teachers recently received training that stated that “two genders is an antiquated view.”
2:47: Mother asks why kids must still social distance while eating when they are allowed to be normally spaced the rest of the school day. She asks what the price is on their mental health, and “what specific danger does eating pose?” She asks additional questions about the district’s inconsistent Covid policies.
2:50: Mother shares concerns about the state’s new radical sexual education standards for elementary schoolers, pointing out that teachers are mandated reporters who are now also going to be the same people discussing sexual acts, positions, and gender-affirming surgery with minors.
She adds that many D158 parents are concerned about the “furry culture” being promoted particularly at Huntley High and at Marlowe. (Students who identify as animals are allowed to wear heads, tails, hooves, paws and make animal sounds in school.) She refers to the HHS high schooler dressed as a horse being shared on social media this week.
She points out that the dress code prohibits hoods and hats, but students are being allowed to wear a full horse head mask during the school day. She urges the district to get back to an environment for learning.
3:17: The board addresses parental curriculum review.
3:19: Dr. Rowe addresses the “furries” in district schools. A transcript of his remarks is below:
“I wasn’t going to but I need to address is the comment about furries and students dressing as animals. You know, when you’re dealing with kids who are developing and working through things, a supportive stance is a better stance than an abrupt halt in helping them work through, in helping them develop and figure out who they are. There’s a process of support there.
“The clarifying point that must be made though is our students are expected to engage with us in the learning process in human words. That expectation is clear, it’s followed in all of our schools, it’s not wavered from. So. while supporting the students to navigate that personalized process, because it’s different for everyone, in figuring out who they are and who they want to be in terms of coming into their own, it shouldn’t be interpreted in the district endorsing the lifestyle.
“We’re supporting kids. That’s our charge at the bare-bones basis, and it all happens at a personalized level in terms of working with families, as we do very, very closely in all of these situations … and helping students navigate. Middle school is the most difficult point in the process.
“If we’re not supportive, we’re going to lose them, and we have to bring them in and help them on through rather than push them away. Those practices aren’t successful when you do that. I understand we’re in interesting times as a society, and love and caring is going to get us through, not turning people away.”
3:31: Board votes on to reducing the support staff hours. The motion passes unanimously (one board member not present to vote on this evening.)