Reading the Dec. 2 editorial in the Sammamish Review, one can easily believe that Scrooge has come to Sammamish just in time for the holidays.
School secretaries in the Lake Washington School District are asking for a wage increase because they need to be able to support themselves and their families living in this area.
School secretaries have not received a wage increase over the past three years. They have been negotiating a new contract since last spring. Whatever increase may be received will be for the next few years, once the new contract is finalized.
And how much are school secretaries asking for? The Review editorial got its facts wrong.
The editorial claims we’re looking for $23-$24 an hour. That is the amount needed to support basic living expenses in the Eastside area served by the Lake Washington School District. In fact, we’re negotiating with the school district for an increase of at least ten (10) percent.
That means an increase of $1.35 to $2.08 an hour for our members. A Lake Washington School District secretary currently being paid $13.53 an hour would make $14.88 – and the highest paid secretaries presently at $20.80 an hour would move to $22.88.
As the Review huffs and puffs “Bah” and “Humbug” over school secretaries asking for a living wage, it might do well to remember that without us, there would be no friendly greeting when a new or returning student and parent enters a building, the doors wouldn’t open, the bells wouldn’t ring, the phones wouldn’t be answered, the lights wouldn’t go on, school budgets wouldn’t be maintained, computers and electronic systems would not be maintained or operated efficiently and students wouldn’t receive correct medications and might not get on the correct school bus.
We hope the Lake Washington School District will not join the Review in playing Scrooge as well.
After all, the school district has an ending fund balance of $17 million. For the sake of our children and our schools, it’s essential that school secretaries in Lake Washington are paid a fair living wage.
The Lake Washington Educational Support Personnel
