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The union presented over 1,200 signatures from MNPS workers asking for a pay study for support staff.[/caption]
The 2017-2018 operating budget for Metro Schools includes the major priorities which SEIU members have communicated to the school board and Dr. Joseph since the beginning of the school year.
Thanks to the efforts of SEIU members, this year's proposed schools budget includes:
- 3% across the board raise
- Step increases for eligible staff
- Maintain benefits
- A compensation study for support staff
Getting the pay study included in the budget happened after over 1,200 support employees all across the county signed petitions and then turned out in droves to present the petitions to the school board.
Cost-of-living and step raises were just a few of the major issues that union members raised with Dr. Joseph, his administration, and the school board at a town hall meeting at the SEIU hall. That meeting also brought forward issues like tuition assistance, hiring more staff, and coming up with more ways for support employees to build a career in MNPS. Those issues have also been included in the budget proposal.
"Because our members have been so pro-active since the search for a new director of schools, the district is starting to get the message that support staff are critical to improving public education in Nashville," said Brad Rayson, president of SEIU Local 205. "This school year, we've had a record number of paraprofessionals, educational assistants, secretaries, bookkeepers, ISS monitors, campus supervisors, maintenance and cafeteria staff joining (or re-joining) the union and getting engaged in their workplace and it is making a difference."
The MNPS budget will be presented to the Metro Council followed by a series of committee meetings and hearings in May and June, followed by a vote by the Council to accept a final budget to be signed by Mayor Barry.
For up-to-date information on the budget and all other issues that are important to MNPS employees, follow SEIU Local 205's Facebook page or [contact](mailto: wcurrie@seiu205.org) SEIU Local 205.