WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Wednesday's Palm Beach County School board meeting drew a crowd as two separate issues took center stage.
Over 100 people supporting school staff gathered outside the school district headquarters to rally for better pay.
Crowds of bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and advocates are demanding that the school board lower health insurance premiums for non-instructional workers.
WATCH: WPTV reporter Zitlali Solache speaks to those seeking higher wages from the Palm Beach County School District
Support staff workers said they make an average of $28,000 annually, and many work two jobs to make ends meet.
“Imagine a family living off $28,000 a year in Palm Beach County,” Jeffers Walker said. “That’s next to nothing. You hear about the teachers, you hear about the police officers, but non-instructional staff, you hear nothing about.”
The Palm Beach County School District said it greatly values the important work of non-instructional workers, adding they have provided consistent raises over the last three years. However, many argue it’s simply not enough.
“Rent and mortgage has gone up, so we definitely need our pay to go up,” ESE specialist Tera Pits-Johnson said.
Union members said their contract expired in December and reached an impasse earlier this month.
“It breaks my heart to know that we can’t have them live comfortably with the important jobs that they have,” said Alfred Fields, with the NAACP.
Union President Alfonso Mayfield said he plans to attend the next school board meeting, and he will continue to fight for workers.
Later during the meeting, some voiced their concerns before the school board decided to roll back on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
The board voted to adopt several emergency revisions in multiple 6-1 votes, with board member Edwin Ferguson in dissent.
According to documents, the district moved forward with these changes to avoid losing $300 million in federal funding.
The board made changes like removing language promoting diversity hiring and scraped a policy that gives advantage to minority and woman owned businesses with ties to the school district.
Board member Ferguson stood in opposition of these changes saying the removal of these policies are washing away history.
