Easthampton School Committee ties substitute custodian pay to contract, sets rate at 80 percent

EASTHAMPTON -- September 9, 2025, Easthampton School Committee sets substitute custodian pay at 80 percent of union step-one rate. The committee voted 5-0 Tuesday to peg the previously stagnant $15.30-an-hour substitute custodian position to 80 percent of the step-one rate in the custodial collective bargaining contract, currently $23.14, yielding a rate of roughly $18.51 that will automatically adjust each July 1. Director of Business Services Julia told the committee that nearby districts pay between $15 and $24.91 for comparable positions, with South Hadley at $18 and Pittsfield reaching $21.49 on second shift. Superintendent Dr. Balch also presented a detailed entry plan built around community listening sessions, surveys, and a December findings report, and introduced her state-assigned executive coach Dr. Kenneth Salim, a former superintendent in Cambridge and Weymouth. The district reported its summer food program served 2,801 meals this year, roughly double the prior summer's total, and announced two new grants: a $274,000 PRISM 3 literacy grant for pre-K through grade 3 and a $40,000 hate crimes prevention grant.