AGREEMENT ALERT Hopkins Independent District 270 Paraprofessionals with SEIU Local 284 Reach A Tentative Agreement with the district that includes historic wage increases.

Hopkins —Hopkins Independent School District 270 Paraprofessionals with The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 284 reached a tentative agreement with the district on January 22 that included historic wage increases. The contract expired on July 1, 2024, and this agreement was reached after eight bargaining sessions.

The group comprises roughly three hundred paraprofessionals who care for students, support their academic, physical, and social-emotional learning, and provide much support to students who receive special education services. This agreement is critical to ensuring our schools remain fully staffed by retaining talent.

A few highlights of the agreement include:

Raises for current employees will range from four dollars an hour to ten dollars an hour over two years.

Starting pay will begin at twenty-five dollars an hour, effective February 15, 2025.

One additional personal day for employees beginning in the 25-26 School Year.

{Cathy Garrett}, a paraprofessional at Hopkins High School, one of the group’s stewards, and a member of the SEIU Local 284 Executive Board, speaks on the workers’ behalf:

“I’m proud of everyone who showed up to bargaining to help us reach this deal. Everyone was so involved in rallying our members to the negotiating table to show that we were united, and it worked. These are the results we strive for when discussing how to better our contracts.

The next step is for the members to ratify the contract on February 26, 2025. The bargaining team is recommending a “Yes” vote.

This agreement marks a step forward as SEIU Local 284 continues to advance the Education Support Professionals Bill of Rights (ESP BOR). The ESP BOR would set a $25 / hour starting wage for all hourly school workers.