To the editor:
Budget news for Lynn Public School students and their families this year is positive. Chapter 70 funds are up more than $14 million. The overall school budget has increased $10.9 million over the fiscal year 2021 budget.
We applaud the advocacy and collaboration of school administrators, parents, students, unions, community members and elected officials in helping to secure this additional state funding through the Student Opportunity Act. It is exciting that desperately-needed new positions have been funded (i.e. parent liaisons, social workers, special education therapists).
It is also imperative that the value of school educators already dedicated to serving the students of Lynn are recognized. Negotiations are starting for a new contract between the city and the Lynn Teachers Union. A wage must be offered that will attract and help retain current staff that have experience, training, and proven performance.
Right now, the attrition rate in Lynn is too high. Since the end of the last school year, 60 teachers, therapists, and paraprofessionals have resigned from their positions.
Our students cannot continue to lose staff to nearby cities that pay employees more. Here are a few comparisons: Starting salaries for new teachers with a master’s degree (which, by the way, usually come with significant student debt) in Lynn are $51,628. In Revere, it is $54,000.*
As teachers reach the top of the master’s salary scale, the salary gap balloons to more than $12,000. As one teacher told us, “I work just as hard as Revere teachers. Why should I earn that much less?” In Salem, the top salary is $5,000 more compared to Lynn; in Chelsea and Peabody, the difference is about $6,000.
In all these cities, paraprofessionals are seriously underpaid with salaries ranging from approximately $17 an hour to $23 an hour.
These are educators who provide essential services for our youngest students and those who require specialized instruction. Teachers and paraprofessionals, special education staff, and all school employees deserve fair compensation.
For many negotiation cycles, the message has been “we can’t afford more.” This year we can. Let’s get it done for the students of Lynn who deserve continuity and excellence from a dedicated school staff.
Phil O’Connor, sixth-grade teacher
Marjie Crosby, retired special educator
North Shore Labor Council
*Figures collected from union contracts
