Special education assistants take a stand

MAT-SU -- More than 40 Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District employees showed up at Wednesday's board meeting supporting Mat-Su special education assistants' pleas to not cut new hire assistants to six hours a day.

Diane Morris, a special education instructor in the district, was one of many people to speak with the board about the cuts.

"There is no way I could do my job without the assistants in my classroom," Morris said. "The paperwork alone would be impossible to do."

Others pleaded that the district has to provide good pay for good services. Some claimed the $5,000 decrease in pay for assistants would make it impossible for some of these people to make a decent living. Other's cried out at the increase in insurance.

"If you take away $5,000 a year in cuts and then charge another $4,000 a year for insurance, that only leaves $11,000 a year in pay, but you want quality personnel," said one man. "At $11,000 a year, where are you going to find that type of person?"

At one point, a speaker asked all the special education assistants present in the room to stand and more than 35 rose from their seats. He then asked everyone else in support of the assistants' pleas to stand, and another 10 or so rose.

Kim Floyd, public information specialist for the school district, wanted to remind the public that no one already working as a special education assistant would have their hours cut or their insurance costs raised. She said the option of a three-quarter hire is only available with new hires, and it is up to the principal and school district to decide whether to post each individual vacancy at full or three-quarter time.

"When a position becomes vacant due to attrition, the on-site principal can chose to post the position at full time or three-quarter time, depending on his or her own school's needs," Floyd said. Principals may also hire an assistant three-quarter time for special education, then have them work the rest of the day doing other duties, still keeping them at full-time, eight hour days. Or he or she may choose to use the money saved from hiring an assistant three-quarter time to fulfill other education needs in the school.

"Not all schools need full time assistants," Floyd said. "Some need full time, and will hire full time, others won't."

Floyd also said there was a cost increase in insurance. This school year, full-time classified staff paid $600 for insurance. Three-quarter hires paid $1,970.

The school board has decided to review the issue during the August school board meeting, due to the large numbers of protesters that showed up to last week's meeting. At this time, principals continue to have the option of posting special education assistant positions at three-quarter's time.