Danielson, CT, Oct. 13, 2021—Chants of "Fair Contract Now!" and "ParaPower" filled the air as more than 200 union members and community supporters packed Davis Park to rally in support of Killingly school paraprofessionals in their struggle for a fair contract.

The paraprofessionals, members of Local 3689 of Council 4, are working under a contract that expired June 30, 2021. The Board of Education and Superintendent Robert Angeli have decided to pursue arbitration rather than settle a new collective bargaining agreement. During negotiations, the Board offered a raise that amounts to 14 cents an hour.

• Click here to read our Aug. 23 press release about negotiations.

AFSCME Local 3689 member Sarah St. George, a paraprofessional at Killingly High School, told rally participants that she and her colleagues do vital work for the students.

“I go to work every day, knowing that I am make a difference in the lives of our children," she said. "It’s time for our employer to provide us with the respect and compensation we deserve so we can meet the needs of our own children.”

Since the end of the 2021 academic year, more than 20 paraprofessionals have quit in frustration, many of them taking similar positions with school districts that pay significantly better wages. Killingly paraprofessionals start at $14.48 an hour. The neighboring town of Putnam, which is ranked lower than Killingly in the State Department of Education’s wealth rating, pays $17 an hour.

“All you’re asking for is parity with the neighboring communities,” Connecticut AFL-CIO President Sal Luciano said during his keynote remarks. “Does the Board really want to lose this many experienced paras? How do the Board and Superintendent [Angeli] think this is going to help your students? And really, that’s who suffers: the students who attend Killingly Public Schools.”

Jennifer Horner, a candidate for the Board of Education, addressed rally participants.

“You’ll hear that Killingly can’t afford a wage increase. If towns that rank lower than us in wealth, neighboring towns, can afford to pay more than we do, than I think that argument goes out the window. It’s not a secret that it costs more to recruit someone than to retain them. Our children are worth it. Our paras are worth it,” Horner said.

Stacie Harris-Byrdsong, the secretary of Council 4 and president of the union representing paraprofessionals in the Capitol Regional Education Council (CREC) school system, also spoke.

“If all paras woke up one day and decided to not come to work, our schools would not function properly. In Killingly, paras are making about a dollar and fifty cents more than the minimum wage. This is unfair and unjust. It feels like a slap in the face to the individuals who do this work with care and compassion when all the surrounding towns do more for their paras,” Harris-Byrdsong said.

Other speakers at the rally were Killingly teacher Lisa Higgins, vice president of the Killingly Education Association; Kim Adams, a member of SEIU District 1199 and a striking group home worker from the Hawkins House in Danielson; and Council 4 Executive Director Jody Barr.

• Click here for the Killingly Rally Photo Album.

Immediately following the rally, Local 3689 members and supporters packed Town Hall for the Killingly Board of Education meeting, where several paraprofessionals and parents voiced their concerns and challenged BoE members to walk in the paras' footsteps for a day.

“We are fighting this fight not only for us as paras  and the community. but most importantly for the students,” Local 3698 Vice President Michelle Pion, who works at Killingly High School.