MANCHESTER, N.H. – The question of whether all hourly employees in the Manchester School District will receive at least $15 an hour will not be answered until at least August.
At Monday night’s Board of School Committee (BOSC) meeting, the item was pushed to allow additional time for Manchester School District Chief Financial Officer Karen DeFrancis to determine the cost of such a move, which would primarily affect paraprofessional educators and cafeteria staff.
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig asked for the delay, and requested consultation between the school district and Manchester Finance Department Director Sharon Wickens and Board of Mayor and Aldermen Vice Chair Pat Long after the city raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all full-time employees last month.
The data will look at the costs of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour for just full-time hourly employees like with city employees as well as the costs for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour for full-time and part-time hourly employees. In both scenarios, the changes would likely take place on the beginning of the Fiscal Year 2024 fiscal year on July 1, 2023.
Ward 11 BOSC Member Dr. Nicole Leapley asked if the study could also look at any salaried employees who make less than the equivalent of $15 an hour, but Craig said the information provided would just look at hourly employees.
This news was warmly welcomed by BOSC members, with Ward 7 BOSC Member Chris Potter going as far to say that a special meeting should be scheduled if the information can be obtained earlier than August.