LETTER: Support staff need living wage

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The support staff at the Vashon schools are those welcoming visitors to the district, those who address student, teacher and parent needs. We keep records in compliance with state laws. We assure the schools are safe and classes are staffed. We order supplies and keep programs running. We support your students throughout the day when they need help with academics, emotional and behavioral control. We receive Crisis Prevention Training because we work with the most challenged students at their most vulnerable times. We get kicked, head butted, slapped, pinched, bitten, threatened and called names and still we return to work with a smile and words of encouragement because we love our jobs.

The truth is the district, schools, teachers and most importantly the kids need us!

The truth is also that we need a living wage to be able to stay in these jobs. We keep losing staff because they cannot support themselves and their families. How can anyone live on $2,000 or less per month? Could you?

The quality of our district’s education declines if we cannot retain qualified staff. We are vital to the district. We are not asking for the world. We, as all employees of our schools, want this district to be financially sound. What we are asking for is a fair share of the funds the Washington Legislature allocated to our district to boost employee salaries.

It is time to make the lowest paid group of district employees your priority, not an afterthought. It is time to pay us a wage that allows us to stay and work on Vashon. It is time to bring these negotiations to a mutually acceptable solution. If you want the Vashon Island School District to remain one of choice, you have to invest in your frontline staff.

— Mecky Chappelka