The Supreme Judicial Court sided with the Boston Teachers Union on Tuesday in a contract dispute over hiring substitute classroom aides that began five years ago.
The Boston School Committee must now hire 18 substitute paraprofessionals for the district, which the committee agreed to as part of a union contract that covered the school years between 2018 and 2021. (……)
“ It’s important because our paraprofessionals are critical to meeting the needs, particularly of students with disabilities,” said Berg. “When they’re absent and required services are missing for students, it really hinders their ability to learn and thrive.”
Berg said every kindergarten class in Boston Public Schools has a paraprofessional, and some students with individual education plans may need one-on-one para-professional support.
Jessica Tang, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Federation of Teachers which represents the Boston Teachers Union, echoed Berg’s sentiment and said that the ruling’s impact reaches beyond the classroom.
“What it’s saying is that if an arbitrator gives a decision or an award, that it has to be enforced and that that has actually a wide ranging impact across the public sector unions,” said Tang.