More than 100 teachers and teachers assistants, each wearing a red shirt, filled the Barrington School Committee meeting on Thursday night, Aug. 31. 

The sea of red was a show of solidarity, as members of the B.E.S.T. (Barrington Educational Support Team) union called for a new contract. The union workers returned to school this year without a contract — negotiations that started in February made little progress, said Dennis Perry, a teachers assistant at the high school and B.E.S.T. union leader.

“After last week, I think we’re going to be starting from the beginning again,” Perry said prior to the School Committee meeting. “That’s my thought. This is not working.”

About a half-dozen members of the B.E.S.T. union spoke during the public comment portion of the School Committee meeting. Jennifer Jones was one of the first to speak. She shared one of the key contract concerns for union members: B.E.S.T. members make about $25,000 a year. 

“That is not a living wage,” Jones said. 

B.E.S.T. is calling for a fair wage and a benefits package, she said. Jones said B.E.S.T. members should be paid a commensurate wage to staff workers in neighboring school districts. 

Jones said the educational support team workers are an integral part of the success of the Barrington school district. She said she was worried that B.E.S.T. members will start to leave Barrington for work in other districts. 

Perry called the educational support team in Barrington the “first responders” of the school department. He said they are the people who work closely with local students day-in and day-out. 

In an interview with the Barrington Times prior to the meeting, Perry said there is a level of frustration among B.E.S.T. members because people do not fully understand or value what the educational support team does. 

“We don’t get any credit, respect,” Perry said. “The respect is terrible.

“We have a TA that’s doing braille now to help one kid because they’re blind. You’ve got T.A.s who come in early, they stay late. They’re the first ones that people see (at the schools), that kids see. They’re the last ones the kids see. When they have anxiety, who’s taking them for a walk? It’s T.A.s. When kids slap somebody, who gets slapped? The T.A.”

Perry said B.E.S.T. members are concerned with the situation. He said they did not expect to return to school this year without a contract in place. 

“In all the years I’ve been around I’ve never seen anything like this,” Perry said. “Over 45 years … I’ve done it all. I still enjoy what I do. I don’t mind helping kids. It’s the adults, that’s the hard part.”

Alex Lucini, an assistant executive director with NEA RI, attended the School Committee meeting on Thursday. He spoke with the Barrington Times before the meeting started. 

“I think B.E.S.T. was looking to have an agreement in place so they we could turn our attention to the students at the beginning of the school year. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to come to an agreement. We feel that it’s important for the School Committee to see our members because many of these members feel that, based off our negotiations, that they’re not being seen, and the amazing work that they do every day,” Lucini said. 

‘We are all in this together’

Cynthia Affronti spoke during the public comment period. She said B.E.S.T. members work with some students who have specific needs and challenges. She said the work is important, very important. She asked that the district extend a pay increase to B.E.S.T. members that would put them in line with other nearby school districts. 

Kate Adams said she works at Nayatt School. She pleaded for commensurate pay for B.E.S.T. members. She said the educational support team in Barrington meets students where they are to provide them the support they need. 

Nahum Mitnik, a Barrington High School teacher and leader with the NEA Barrington teachers union, spoke about how vital the B.E.S.T. staff is to the district, its teachers and its students. Mitnik said he relies on the support staff in his classroom at the high school.

“We are all in this together,” Mitnik said. 

Others spoke out in support of B.E.S.T. 

Lisa Daft asked how many administrative jobs had been added recently. She said the priority should be focused on taking care of the people who take care of local students, 

Doniell Remington works in the local schools. She said B.E.S.T. is the foundation of Barrington Public Schools and the union members handle just about every task imaginable. She said that without a good foundation, the buildings will not stand.

Jessica Liberatos said the district needs to prioritize funding for the staffing in the schools and not new administrative positions. 

Jenny Gaynor, a former Barrington teacher, said B.E.S.T. is the heartbeat of the district. She said she did not understand how administrators were not seeing the value of the support staff personnel. Gaynor said the district needs to give B.E.S.T. members what they are asking for.

Gaynor asked: When you pay people peanuts, you know what you get? A circus, she answered.

“Give the members of B.E.S.T. what they deserve and more,” she said.