PAL-CWA Members Fight to Keep Schools Open

Members of the Personnel Association of Lawrence (PAL)-CWA (CWA Local 6400) are fighting against a proposal by the Lawrence school district to close or repurpose multiple public schools. The proposal is part of an effort to address a multimillion-dollar budget crisis.

“We continue to believe that the District Administration is offering us a false choice: we can close schools so that we can increase classified staff wages or we can accept poverty wages and our schools can stay open,” the workers said in a statement.

PAL-CWA’s members work at the Lawrence Kansas Public Schools as custodians, food service workers, paraeducators, school secretaries, and more. They have mobilized with advocates in the community by holding rallies, distributing flyers, and engaging in other solidarity actions to urge the Board to find alternative options to address the immediate budget shortfall and take the time to propose long-term solutions that do not include school closures.