Reading School District has approved collective bargaining agreements with the district’s Food Services and Reading Paraprofessionals associations that increased all current and starting rates to at least $15 per hour.
Effective last month, the agreement with the two unions more than double the state’s current minimum wage of $7.25.
The district also provides a professional growth plan and health insurance benefit
“We believe investing in our people is an investment in our local economy,” Dr. Jennifer Murray, superintendent, said Friday in a news release. “Many Reading School District employees live in Reading. Providing a livable wage for our hard-working employees is the first step to improving our local economy and fighting poverty in our community.”
The school district currently has more than 200 job openings covered by the bargaining agreements and hopes to fill the positions before the start of school on Aug. 29.
“This new agreement rewards our long-term employees with a tremendous raise,” said Diana Keller, food service team member and president of Local 155. “And it provides an opportunity for us to compete in a tight labor market for new employees.”
Cafeteria staff, including cashiers, cooks and others, work full-time work during the school year and have opportunities for summer hours.
Entry-level food-service employees will have a starting range of $15 to 16.25 per hour, the news release said, and all current staff wages will increase by $1.50.
The agreement also includes a retention bonus paid at or around the end of December.
The food service department was recently reorganized after supply chain and staffing shortages last school year generated complaints from parents and students.
“We collected a lot of feedback from students last school year,” Dr. Yamil Sanchez, chief administrative officer for the district, said in the release. “We want our students to know we heard their concerns, and we are making changes.”
These include a return to cooking fresh meals on site and partnering with student-choice vendors for special meal days.
Katie Gioia DeVito, the new food service director, will oversee the changes.
DeVito, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with a Bachelor of Arts in food service management, brings more than 20 years of experience in the field.
“I am super excited to be a part of the Reading School District leadership team and to have an opportunity to rejuvenate the meal program to best serve our students,” she said in the release.
The new agreement with the paraprofessionals union will increase wages on average by 18.5% for the coming school year, with the starting rate at $15 for all positions. It also outlines yearly raises of 5% to 7% for current staff over the next four years.
The collective bargaining agreement also increases paid time off, including sick days, personal days and paid holidays.
Paraprofessionals and parent outreach assistants work full-time through the school year. There are also opportunities for summer hours.
“Our paraprofessionals are important members of our team,” Murray said. “We value the important role they serve with our children in the education process. Some may also aspire to become teachers, and we fully support their future development toward that goal.”
Tuition reimbursement is also available as part of the district’s Grow Your Own teacher development initiative, which provides a career advancement pathway from paraprofessional into certified teaching positions.
“The growth opportunity is something we have been striving for since a lot of the paras look to further their education and become teachers,” Kim Jones, a paraprofessional and Reading Paraprofessionals Association president, said in the news release. “Now, that they can further their education and know they have an opportunity to stay within the district and have the benefits.”
Increasing compensation and providing training and support are important staff recruitment and retention strategies, Murray said.
“If we want to provide a quality education for students, we have to attract hard-working employees who care about our community and care about kids,” she said.
The district also has positions open in a several other departments.
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the district’s hiring website: www.readingsd.org/jobs.
The district is hosting a job fair on Aug. 9. Qualified candidates can apply, interview and might even be hired that day, officials said.
