WASHINGTON PARISH, La. — Like the other nine schools that make up the Washington Parish School District, Franklinton Junior High School didn’t have classes Tuesday.
Less than a block away, the reason why.
“We can’t afford to live on the salary they pay us. We need a raise,” said one district employee as she held up a sign that read, “Honk for Teachers and Support Staff.”
Teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other support staff all protested outside the school system’s central office.
“This is the first time since I’ve been here 18 years that everybody, every department is represented here,” said bus driver Regina Baillio.
In her 18 years driving students to and from school in the district, Baillio said she doesn’t remember ever getting any type of impactful raise from the district.
“They give us a step raise every year which is $100 every year. You divide that by twelve, you take out taxes, you wound up with $6.42,” said Baillio. “Any raises we’ve gotten have been from the state.”
Tuesday’s protest comes after a board meeting last week which Thomas Elementary School’s cafeteria manager Kevin Knight said ended with pay raises for the central office, but no one else.
“We all just felt it was too much,” said Knight. “This is at a breaking point because no one has been given a raise.”
When asked Tuesday whether pay raises were warranted for employees, Superintendent Frances Varnado said she’d rather leave that discussion for an emergency board meeting set to happen Thursday at 6 p.m. inside Franklinton Primary School’s auditorium. Varnado says her concern is getting classes back in session.
“I do want employees happy," said Superintendent Varnado. "I want them to enjoy coming to school, but I also want our students to be able to come to school as well,”
Knight said he sees no other option.
“I feel bad this is happening with the kids, but this is our only way trying to get our voices heard and hopefully something will be done,” said Knight.
Elected school board member Keith Giles said something can be done.
“We have to find ways to pay them, we’ve got to do difficult things,” said Giles. “If we got to cut, we’ve got to cut where it needs to be cut. These people are hurting.”
And it's that hurting school system employees said needs to stop.
“We keep getting told that we are a poor parish, we don’t have as much revenue as other parishes. I get that. So, if we are, why is other people getting raises and it’s not drifting down to the workers,” said Baillio.
Superintendent Varnado says classes will be back in session Wednesday regardless of whether workers are still striking.
“We have central office staff that are committed to going out to the school and stepping in where we’re needed,” said Varnado.
That emergency school board meeting is Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. at Franklinton Primary School.
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