The “Respect” Check, as it’s known, will pay paraprofessionals in four installments that are outside the city's collective bargaining agreement as a way to stabilize the workforce
City Council members and the United Federation of Teachers praised the “Respect” Check ahead of a full council vote Thursday. The bill authorizes a one-time $10,000 pay boost to the city’s paraprofessional workforce, many of whom make less than $40,000 a year.
The New York City Council approved Thursday a bill authorizing one-time, $10,000 supplemental wages for the city’s teaching aides, known as paraprofessionals, to bolster their compensation until the city can negotiate a more attractive contract with ed unions. , as it’s known, will pay paraprofessionals in four installments that are outside the city’s collective bargaining agreement as a way to stabilize the workforce which still has some 1,600 vacancies.
Paraprofessionals, sometimes called paras, in NYC Public Schools have a starting wage of $32,500, leaving many in the profession on the financial edge and unable to afford basic necessities. , Michael Mulgrew said the abysmal pay structure was hindering New York City’s Department of Education’s ability to provide federally mandated services to students with disabilities and receive an Individualized Educational Plan.
“We are trying to make sure that our school system is able to pull out of a significant crisis, one it has never faced like this before,” Mulgrew said. “At the same time, to do justice for the people who have been left dealing with the crisis, people whose jobs have become much, much, much more difficult over the years.
” UFT leadership, lawmakers and education advocates have criticized the city for its failure to invest in paraprofessionals, pointing to a surge in special education lawsuits, known as Carter Cases, as a direct result of the paraprofessional shortage. Mulgrew told amNewYork that everyone loses when the city’s paras are underpaid.
“ It’s just morally wrong that the city would rather keep paraprofessionals in poverty and also allow our school system to not supply legally mandated services to our most challenged students,” Mulgrew said. The bill’s sponsor, and mother to a child in the public school system, Council Member Carmen De La Rosa , celebrated Thursday ahead of the full vote, noting that the Respect Check bill has been a coordinated effort on behalf of the entire city council, borough presidents the public advocate, unions and teachers.
She called paraprofessionals “the backbone” of the special education system.
“Through this bill, we will be able to retain the talented men and women that keep our educational system afloat,” De La Rosa said. The city’s school system is short an estimated 1,600 paraprofessionals, leaving the remaining workforce to cover larger caseloads of legally mandated special education support. They say the shortage can’t be solved without meaningful wage increases. Gerry Scales is a veteran paraprofessional and chapter leader with over 30 years in education.
He works with the Manhattan Occupational School, a specialized public school serving NYC students with the most significant needs. He told amNewYork that he starts his day around 6:30 A.M. to assist students with riding the bus to school.
Then, Scales spends the school day as a behavioral paraprofessional, helping students that may have behavioral issues in the classroom.
“ A lot of factors sometimes goes into the kids’ behavior,” Scales said. They could have had a bad night at home; they didn’t get enough sleep; they didn’t get enough to eat. There may be something in the classroom that they may not like, but they can’t express it, so they act out. There’s so many different types of factors that goes into a kid’s behavior sometimes.
” But since the pandemic, Scales’ school has been short on classroom paraprofessionals, who he says would normally help with clerical work and cover for other paras who may be absent. The extra work has put strain on the remaining staff.
“During the day, we have a lot of different crisis with different students because of the para shortage,” Scales said. Together, Scales and his wife raised four children, who are now adults. He said that we wouldn’t necessarily use the word “tough” to describe supporting a family on a paraprofessional’s salary, “but it wasn’t easy. ” Scales said that in the later years of his career, the extra boost could mean more financial stability before he heads into retirement.
“ I can do some of the things that I always wanted to do, Scales said. “I could travel a little bit more; I can probably help out some other family members that may need my help. That ten thousand dollars, it would mean the world to me. ” But not everyone is celebrating Thursday’s 49-0 vote as a win.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised concerns about the payments running afoul of the “Taylor Law,” which sets rules for the way public employers can negotiate contracts with public employees. Mamdani praised the work of paraprofessionals as “indispensable” and said the city owes them “a profound debt of gratitude,” but cast doubt on the bills’ legality.
“I have been clear that questions of compensation are best resolved through the collective bargaining process that respects workers and their unions. However, the Council’s passage of this legislation is in direct violation of the Taylor law. Our administration is reviewing the final language carefully and working to determine the appropriate next steps.
” City Council Speaker Julie Menin criticized City Hall at a press conference Thursday, saying that the Mamdani administration was not a willing partner in solving paraprofessional pay through the budget or collective bargaining, “The administration did not want to do either of them,” Menin said.
“So, the council is going to use every tool in its toolbox to act. ” Speaker Julie Menin criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying that the administration wasn’t a willing partner in other, more favorable paths toward increasing paraprofessional’s pay. Menin, Mulrew and other lawmakers also touted the bill’s fiscal benefits, which they predict will reduce the “ballooning” cost of Carter Cases that cost DOE over $1 billion dollars a year.
Terrible pay isn’t the only barrier to attracting qualified candidates to paraprofessional work in NYC. To become a full-time para in NYC public schools, a person must first serve as a. Mulgrew described a convoluted and confusing hiring process through DOE, which he said ultimately prevents children from accessing the paraprofessional services they are legally required to have.
“ You have no training, you have extremely low pay that you can’t pay your bills on, and even though you were told you could become a full-time power and at least have benefits, it’s almost impossible to do because it’ll take years,” Mulgrew said. Mayor Mamdani still could veto the bill, but as it stands, City Council has more than the supermajority needed to override a veto.
Sadie Brown is a general assignment reporter at amNY, joining the newsroom after covering the city’s northernmost borough for the Bronx Times starting in 2024. She graduated from the CUNY Craig Newmark School of Journalism in 2022. After a stint in international—then national news—Sadie found her calling in local journalism. Originally from Texas, she’s a proud barbecue snob and Topo Chico evangelist.
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