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Late last week an arbitrator ruled that the School Department violated our collective bargaining agreement by not including tutor-fellows hired by the Blueprint Schools Network, Inc. in our paraprofessional bargaining unit.
The 11 tutor-fellows, employed at English High School and the Elihu Greenwood School, earned less than similarly-qualified BTU paraprofessionals and also suffered a loss in benefits. The BTU argued that these tutor-fellows belong in the BTU paraprofessional unit, where those with a Bachelor’s degree would have earned $22.89 per hour last year, which was more than Blueprint was paying them. The 11 Blueprint tutor-fellows are entitled to retroactive pay with benefits. We will be in touch with them.
In the future, they belong in the paraprofessional unit with all rights and benefits.
A BPS paraprofessional with a bachelor’s degree earned slightly more than $28,000 per year for 2013-14, working the traditional 6 hour, 10 minute school day. Many Blueprint tutor-fellows have a bachelor’s degree and work at least that amount of time each day. Blueprintcurrently pays their teacher fellows $20,000 to $21,000 per year. Where applicable, tutor-fellows will be eligible for back pay. Blueprint fellows would also receive, among other items, a retroactive dental benefit.
We welcome the Blueprint teacher-fellows to our ranks.
Staff at the Greenwood and the English High School — feel free to circulate this information to the Blueprint fellows, and let them know we will be in touch.
Blueprint currently manages the Dever School under an arrangement with the state, which placed the Dever into Level 5 receivership. The BTU has raised a number of issues surrounding Blueprint’s takeover of the Dever, including its mandate of 700 hours (a 58% increase in the work year) of additional school time for all employees without providing any compensation.
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