Teacher and support-staff unions raise staffing, working-conditions and pay concerns at board meeting

Representatives of two labor organizations addressed the Wichita Public Schools board Aug. 4 with praise for some district supports and concerns about staffing, facilities and wages.

A United Teachers of Wichita speaker identified as Katie (UTW representative) thanked the district for professional development time and cited partnerships supporting third-grade literacy and staff certification (the Seal of Literacy). UTW said it still needed clarity on how a Department of Justice code-of-conduct directive will be implemented in buildings and asked for follow-up communications so school staff can answer questions consistently. UTW also raised longstanding facility concerns—extreme summer heat in some classrooms and gymnasiums without air conditioning—and reiterated concern about overcrowding at some high schools, which union leaders said can pose safety challenges.

Separately, an SEIU representative, Esau, described union charity and food-drive efforts to support school employees and community pantries, thanked the district for stepping in to support a friendship fund and described summer income shortfalls faced by paraprofessionals and clerical staff who lack unemployment during summer months. The speaker referenced a July 24, 2025, federal bill introduced by Sen. Edward Markey to raise wages for support workers to $30 an hour; the speaker urged local officials and congressional offices to consider higher wages for paraprofessionals and support staff.

Board members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to follow up with additional information about the DOJ code-of-conduct implementation and about building-level facilities plans; no formal board action occurred at the meeting.