Administrative assistants at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools took their case for higher pay directly to the school board in Township High School District 113 on Monday, saying the pay gap with surrounding districts has been widening.
“We are asking that our salaries stay competitive and keep up with the cost of living,” said Bettie Liberles, an administrative assistant at Deerfield High School for the past 21 years and a member of the Administrative Assistant Salary Committee.
“Many of our members work one or two extra jobs as only 15 district administrative assistants make more than $40,000,” said Liberles. Yet the technology needs of the district demand that members continually update their skills, she said.
The non-unionized group covers about 40 administrative assistants who work for associate principals, department chairs, the athletics department, the student activities office, the deans’ office, the library and technology centers or in other capacities. Several serve as school registrars or schedulers.
Christine Gonzales, the district’s director of communication and instructional technology, declined to answer questions on the specifics of the negotiations.
“All I can say at this time is that negotiations are ongoing and are confidential in nature,” Gonzales said by email. She added that the process has been a collaborative one.
The group’s three-year agreement expired June 30, and the salary committee is awaiting a response to its last proposal for a new contract.
In the last accord, the salary pool was increased by three percent for each of the first two years of the contract and by two percent in the third year. That raise pool was distributed equally among employees based on the number of hours worked.
Raises are cut in half once an employee earns $35 an hour, under the agreement.
“Veteran staff should be rewarded for their years of service, institutional knowledge and commitment to the district, not given a reduction in pay during a period when their earnings affect their retirement,” Liberles said.
The group also is calling attention to the higher starting pay given to District 113 employees in “male-dominated” custodial, maintenance and security positions.
Liberles said a secretary to an associate principal hired in 1996 currently makes about $31 per hour, while a custodian and a groundsman hired the same year are earning $32 and $34 an hour, respectively.