1) Do you support paying a living wage to all School Board workers including part-time,
temporary, seasonal, and contracted workers? (The ACLC defines a living wage as 125% of the Federal Poverty Level – currently $14.78 an hour).
Yes
a. How will you ensure contracted workers are paid the set wage?
We are currently working on our budget for the next year. We have set this as a priority in our strategic plan.
b. What is your plan to get us there?
We set this as a priority in our strategic plan and have been working towards the goal of a living wage for all of our employees. As of now, including benefits, we are close to $15.00/hour. We provide health insurance to all of our hourly staff if they work at least half time. This benefit, added to our hourly wage is close to $15.00/hour. We are looking at ways to increase the base pay to $15.00 over the next few years.
c. What ideas do you have to help improve wages and benefits for workers throughout our community?
One of the best ways for folks to increase their income is by professional and skills development. We should increase our partnerships with Santa Fe College and other adult education groups.
2) Do you support providing paid administrative leave for part-time, temporary, seasonal, and contracted City workers in the event of emergency work closures (e.g., hours missed due to Hurricanes)?
The School Board did pay our employees that worked over-time hours during the
hurricanes. The last I checked, we are still waiting for our reimbursement from the state forwages, food supplies and cleaning. If their work place was not open, we offered an alternate work place for the days so that their pay would not be affected. We build in “storm days” into our calendar. For those that could not get in to their work site for whatever reason, it was considered an unpaid day and was made up when we put our set aside storm days back into our calendar.
3) Do you support a “Renters Bill of Rights’” which would:
- inform renters of their rights under existing laws
- offer an alternative to costly courts to settle disputes over security deposits and
damages - protect renters from high utility bills by enacting policies that require landlords to make
- basic investments in energy efficiency.
I do support a “Renters Bill of Rights”.
4) Do you support a local hiring preference that includes the use of certified apprenticeship programs for taxpayer funded projects?
Yes