Par-Troy BOE Agrees to Reopen Talks With Paraprofessionals

The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education has decided to come back to the negotiating table rather than pass a request for proposal to outsource paraprofessional positions, after numerous paras, teachers and residents pleaded to keep the jobs in the district.

The Board and the Paraprofessional Association will resume negotiations, which initially ended at an impasse.

The Parsippany-Troy Hills Education Support Association held a rally Thursday outside the Board of Education offices in the 95-degree heat while the board was in executive session. The rally continued inside where 14 members of the public took turns addressing the board during the public portion of the meeting, as nearly 100 members applauded in support.

The source of the protests was an agenda item for the administration to advertise for a request for proposal to outsource the paraprofessional positions in the district at a lower rate in response to the Affordable Healthcare Act, also known as Obamacare. The Affordable Healthcare Act would cost the district about $2 million, said board attorney Mark Tabakin.

“Of the 185 paraprofessionals in the district, about 90 percent of them are from Parsippany,” said New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian.

“I am autistic and I am the product of the amazing school system program that Parsippany has for special needs children,” 15-year-old Dylan Pucilowski said during the meeting to thunderous applause. 

“I am here today as living proof of the success of our paraprofessional's dedication and commitment.”

“I have a 7-year old autistic son and I am his number one advocate on this planet because nobody else has been,” said resident Howard Renn. “My son's paraprofessional he has had for years, he loves her and she works very well with him. If there is money that needs to be cut, cut it from somewhere else but not from special needs children.”

Michelle Romano, a district paraprofessional, spoke about the relationship paras have with their students and how she personally has been up at night thinking and worrying about whether they are able to complete their homework. Not a day goes by when they do not give 100 percent of themselves, she told the board.

“My paras are my team and without them I cannot even imagine what my day would be like, they go above and beyond, they are so professional and they never give up on me or my kids,” said Tricia Drechsel, a special educator at Mount Tabor Elementary School. “I have seen them get kicked and bit and cursed at and the never give up, ever.”

At one point during the year she looked back and saw that the paras were crying, she said.

“I asked them what was wrong and they said 'we've never heard them read before,'” she said. “They feel something that outsiders could never feel.”

After the public comment was ended, the board decided to vote on the motion separately from the rest of the agenda items, at the request of board member Dr. Frank Calabria, who said the public had a right to know the reasons behind their vote.

“I've been moved by these individuals who have come before us tonight, and I would like to try very, very hard to come up with alternatives,” he said. “If we spend some time talking with the leadership with the associations here tonight, we might be able to come to some agreements. I, in good conscience, cannot agree with this.”

The other members of the board followed suit and expressed agreement with Calabria's sentiments in requesting that they go back to the bargaining table.

“We are trying to negotiate in good faith, and we are not looking to outsource right now if we don't have to,” said board member James Carifi.

“Having a daughter starting kindergarten next year, I value the importance of the paraprofessionals, especially since you have paras that have been there a number of years and know the kids and know the system, I feel very uncomfortable with having new people that we don't know come in and stay with our children and not know where they are coming from,” said board member Sharif Shamsudin. 

“I'd much rather have my kids stay with someone who knows the kids, know the schools and lives in town.”

Board of Education President Susy Golderer maintained that the request for proposal is strictly for information purposes as a first necessary step to assure that the board will have sufficient information and time to make decisions should the need arises.

“The board today is not making any decision to fire or outplace anybody, we are trying to make a decision to get information,” said Golderer. “We would be remiss if we did not allow information to be received.”

The request for proposal failed to a round of applause in a 6-1 vote with members Shamsudin, Calabria, Carifi, Anthony DeIntinis, Gary Martin and Fran Orthwein voting against the measure. Only Golderer voted in favor. Board members Anthony Mancuso and Michael Strumolo were absent from the meeting.

“We are encouraged that they want to go back to the bargaining table,” said Vickie Walsh, UniServ Field Representative for NJEA. “We are happy to discuss the situation and we are very encouraged by that.”