Amid fears of cuts, IR takes no action on paraprofessionals

The Indian River Board of Education has voted to hold off making any decision with paraprofessional contracts for the upcoming school year after many voiced concerns at the most recent board meeting.

After fears some of the positions would be cut, the Indian River Board of Education decided to look deeper into the matter.

"It will give the chance for administrators and paraprofessionals to go into a discussion, which will most likely be by May 22," said Indian River School District Superintendent Mark Steele. "There were no actual cuts last night."

During a snapshot of the school population on May 8, Steele said there were many areas within the district where paraprofessionals have been over-hired — right now there are about 200 paraprofessionals in the district, Steele said.

They want to make sure they have the enrollment numbers in hand before the actual hires, Steele added.

During a special board of education meeting on May 8, many paraprofessionals from throughout the district were in attendance, and they pleaded to the board to not cut any paraprofessional positions for the coming school year before the vote was held in executive session.

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"This isn’t just about us keeping our jobs, it’s about being there for our kids, and giving them the absolute most that we can, because that is what we have been fighting for all year," said Shelby Moore, a paraprofessional at Long Neck Elementary School.

"To get our test scores up we are there for our kids. To get the referendum to pass we are there for our kids, and right now the only reason I am standing here talking to the board is because I want to be there for my kids.

"I want to know when they continue their academic career, I helped them get there."

Paraprofessionals are teacher's aides in the classroom who help out by aiding individual students, help manage the classroom and fill in for a teacher when he or she is out of the classroom. They also provide aid for students who receive special education benefits.

These roles makes paraprofessionals invaluable for students, said Traci Makowski, a paraprofessional at Sussex Central High School and the vice president for the paraprofessionals in the district.

She added hiring more teachers to replace paraprofessionals is not the answer.

"We are there for the children every day, for our students," she said. "You can’t hire enough teachers for the ones you are getting rid of to replace us, and they physically can’t be in all those places to address all those needs of our students. We start first thing with greeting them off the buses, to the very end of the day when we take them back to the same locations. Many times we’re the ones who make contacts with the parents. Our students need us."

During the meeting, the board made no indication as to the direction they would go with the vote.

However, board member Donald Hattier did say he sympathizes with them.

"Remember, folks, my wife is a teacher in this district who uses paras also," he said. "I get it."

Board speaks out against match tax

The issue of the match tax also was raised during open session.

The board did not take any action regarding the match tax, however, much of the board appeared to be against the match tax.

The match tax is a part of Gov. John Carney's proposed budget, where school districts could make up the money they lost in cuts to the Education Sustainment Fund and would raise taxes in the district — 12 cents in the case of the Indian River School District — without having to go to a referendum vote, explained district Chief Financial Officer Jan Steele.

"We would be matching our loss," Jan Steele said.

However, some members of the board had no interest in enacting the match tax.

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Hattier, James Fritz and board vice president Rodney Layfield were all vocal with their displeasure at the possibility of having a match tax.

However, Layfield was the only member to say his mind is made up.

"I am opposed to it, that is my stance right now. I am opposed to it," Layfield said. "We are elected school board members, and now they are giving us the authority to raise taxes with no public input."

Hattier also urged those in attendance to call the governor's office to voice their displeasure about the match tax.

Jan Steele, though, said she expects a match tax will be enacted, however, she expects a state or county-wide match tax to be enacted.

"But it sounds like — from our conversations — it will not be coming from the district," she said.

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