The View From Prospect Hill for December 7

The last three years have been hard on Somerville schools. School aid from the state has decreased 20 percent, enrollment in public schools is down 12 percent, and school districts have been pitted against one another in a battle over the precious few resources still remaining.
So no one would argue they could use a little help in the classroom.

  The city has a little help. There is a group known as the paraprofessionals who act as teachers‚Äô aids and substitute teachers. Only, paraprofessionals in Somerville are not happy. They feel like they are getting a raw deal, and they are.
  The group of educators say it is not fair that teachers get paid holidays and vacation time, but the group of classroom helpers are passed over. Paraprofessionals are also passed over when it comes to salary advancements until their sixth year of employment.
  Is this fair? One thing to think about before taxpayers and politicians recite the usual tight-budget and financial-hardship speech is that this group is unhappy.
  Last week, the group made its problems known.
  Carrying homemade signs they brought their issue to City Hall. They occupied much of the hallway, 30 to 40 of them in total.
  These are the people who usually don‚Äôt call attention to themselves. Union discussions with teachers‚Äô aides do not receive the attention police and firefighter negotiations do.
  But here‚Äôs the thing ‚Äì whatever was going on behind closed was not working. This group is at a point where they feel a need to make public the city‚Äôs abuse. Their signs did not say stop taking advantage of us, but their message did.
  With 20-something kids in a classroom, teachers need some help, or the children will suffer. With cuts to school budgets slicing into Somerville‚Äôs resources, municipalities must realize and utilize the assets they have. These paraprofessionals do make a difference. They work because they like what they do. But at the same time they are sick of being taken advantage of. Give Somerville‚Äôs paraprofessionals the respect they deserve.