Waterford ― The local paraprofessionals union is asking the school board for a “major” wage increase in its contract negotiations with the school board.

Linda Laudone, who represents 53 paraprofessionals as the president of AFSCME Local 1303-209, said last week that the current wages are the main reason there are eight openings here for paraprofessional positions.

“We need the respect of a wage increase in order to get paras to want to be paras,” she said.

According to the current three-year contract between the town’s school board and paraprofessionals, the starting hourly wage for paraprofessionals in this town is $16.18. The contract will expire in June.

Five other school districts submitted similar contract information to The Day ― East Lyme, Montville, Norwich, Lyme-Old Lyme and Stonington.

Waterford’s $16.18 an hour is on the lower end of starting wages among the towns while the town’s top pay is $19.48. Some current, long-serving paraprofessionals earn $21.79, but that rate is not available for new hires.

The other communities top pay ranges from about $19 to a little more than $21.

Laudone, a 27-year paraprofessional who’s worked in East Lyme and currently works in Waterford, said the low paraprofessional pay in this school district is the main reason it has not filled the eight vacancies.

“I mean, prices are going up everywhere. And our wages right now are just ― they’re not making it. They’re not doing it. I’m 70 years old. I can say right now, if I didn’t have Social Security and a pretty affordable mortgage, I would not be able to make it financially, to live,” said Laudone.

“So, that’s what’s happening right now. We’re losing good paras to wages,” she said.

Laudone said that despite trying to encourage coworkers to stay in the position in hopes of an increase, 23 paraprofessionals have resigned over the past year-and-a-half.

“They’ll say to me, ‘I don’t know how long I can do this, I don’t know how long I can live on this.’ And I’ll say, ‘Please, just wait it out. Wait it out. Because I have faith that the administrators will see that we deserve a better wage,’” she said.

In a letter to the school board, Oswegatchie School paraprofessional Aspen Donofrio, a mother of four, said that while the job has many rewarding aspects, one of them that isn’t is the pay, which barely covers her weekly grocery bill of $400.

“Add in cell phone, rent, electric, car payments, car insurance, internet, oil, gas, etc.,” she wrote. “My income does not contribute to any of my household bills, just because one paycheck will cover that cost of groceries.”

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Giard III said Tuesday that since the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hiring of paraprofessionals not just here but nationally, “has proved to be challenging.”

“Waterford is not alone in this regard,” he said. “With that said, we have seen less vacancies this year.”

Giard added that he and other administrators “recognize the vital role that paras play in our schools each and every day.”

“They are an integral part of our team, often working with students with the highest of needs,” he said. “As with any negotiation, the discussion typically centers on wages and insurance. I expect that this negotiation will be similar. Looking at comparative data is a part of the process.”

School board members last week agreed to fill a request by the special education director to add 10 paraprofessional positions to next year’s school budget. The decision will not be finalized until Thursday when the board votes on the budget.

Giard said the request was based on student needs.

But with the current wages, Laudone said those extra positions will not be filled.

“They can ask for 10 paras all they want,” she said. “They’re not going to get them with the wage scale the way it is now. If our wages don’t change, they’re going to be waiting till ― I don’t know when ― to get those 10 paras. They’re having trouble now, you know, there’s a shortage now.”

“Our paraprofessionals, the ones I’ve worked with in Waterford, are phenomenal and they’re a vital part of the school district and the success that we have with the support system they provide,” said school board chairwoman Pat Fedor.

Laudone said the main job of the paraprofessionals, also called paraeducators or instructional assistants, is to support students with educational or emotional needs.

“We wear many hats,” she added. “We’re councilors, we’re therapists, we’re moms.”

Laudone, who said teachers need that help, also said the need had increased with the size of the schools.

“Believe me. We’re not doing this for the pay right now. We do this because we love our students,” Laudone said. “When our wages are respected more, the students are the ones that are going to benefit.”

Until contract negotiations end, Laudone and Fedor said their respective parties cannot discuss any specifics such as proposed wage increases.

d.drainville@theday.com