By Bob Katzen

The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Baker a bill designed to protect the rights of custodians, cafeteria and other non-teaching employees of school districts by exempting them from the Education Reform Act or 1993. That act gave school principals strong control over the hiring and assignment of teachers and other education professionals as part of the effort to improve test scores and overall student performance.

“There have been many instances in which the law has been applied to non-classroom personnel in a way that circumvents collective bargaining agreements,” wrote sponsor Rep. Pat Haddad (D-Somerset) in her testimony at the bill’s hearing last year. “This bill would prevent the continuation of this practice by specifically excluding non-classroom personnel from the provisions of the Education Reform Act.”