New York City paraprofessionals face deep pay gap as RESPECT Check bill stalls
In New York City classrooms, paraprofessionals are a quiet lifeline serving some of the city’s most vulnerable students. But, for decades, they’ve ranked among the lowest-paid school employees, and potential relief has stalled in legislative limbo for months.
Paraprofessionals, often called paras, are vital support staff working alongside teachers to assist students with disabilities, behavioral challenges and other special needs. They handle a wide range of responsibilities, including academic support and crisis intervention, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment in which all students can learn and thrive.
The RESPECT Check, introduced by Councilman Keith Powers earlier this year, would provide every unionized department of education paraprofessional with a recurring $10,000 annual payment outside of collective bargaining agreements. It’s designed to bring immediate financial relief to a workforce that has long been disproportionately underpaid.
The legislation has already secured the backing of 48 out of 51 council members — a historic turnout of support for a non-budget bill. Yet it remains without a hearing, awaiting action from Speaker Adrienne Adams despite calls from the United Federation of Teachers to further the bill.
“There’s been no response at all,” Priscilla Castro, chair of the federation’s paraprofessionals chapter, said. “Paraprofessionals are the backbone of our schools, and without them, the schools cannot run. It’s heartbreaking that it’s still being ignored.”
Still, more than 1,400 para positions remain vacant citywide, according to the federation, and those still on the job say the system is nearing a breaking point. With starting salaries at $28,000, many paras are forced to take second and third jobs just to get by.
For Patrick Kenny, a paraprofessional at P.S. 24 in Riverdale for the past 11 years, the workday begins before sunrise. By 6 a.m., he’s at school, preparing to meet his one-on-one student, a third grader with mobility issues, and stays until 2:20 p.m.
But Kenny’s work goes beyond his official assignment. In classrooms strained by staffing shortages, he often steps in to support others who need help, but don’t qualify for a one-on-one para.
In the spring and fall, Kenny also umpires for South Riverdale Little League, working multiple games a day. In the summer, he works at a children’s camp. On weekends, he travels to the city to do fit modeling. He also umpires for the Public Schools Athletic League during the week.
“By the time I’m home, it’s 8:30, 9 o’clock,” he said. “I have dinner, get in bed at 11 and start all over again the next day.”
Despite holding a master’s degree and having more than a decade of experience, Kenny earns about $55,000 per year — about $15,000 less than a starting teacher with similar credentials.
“You can’t raise a family on this,” he said. “And that’s with three jobs. I have a kid who just finished college and another starting college, so we’ve got more student loans coming.”
His para job, Kenny said, is about far more than instructional support. Paras are often the ones to de-escalate emotional outbursts, escort children in crisis out of the classroom and calm students with severe behavioral challenges.
The paraprofessional shortage has real-world consequences for students, and Nina Simmons, a physical therapist at P.S. 218 and mother to a fifth-grade student with epilepsy, knows exactly what’s at stake if it isn’t addressed. Her son, Jayden, has had a health para since pre-K. Without one, he wouldn’t be able to attend school.
“They keep him safe, hydrated, help manage his diet and know how to position him during a seizure,” Simmons said. “They’ve helped him learn how to be independent. Without them, he’d be in a classroom physically, but he wouldn’t be learning. He wouldn’t be safe.”
Jayden no longer attends summer-school programs because para staffing is too unpredictable.
“It’s hot, and heat can trigger his seizures,” Simmons said. “They didn’t have a para, so we had to pull him out. It’s not worth the risk.”
Simmons said she’s watched paras — many of them working in District 75, the city’s special education network — absorb physical aggression, verbal abuse and emotional exhaustion daily.
They’re lifting medically fragile children,” she said. “They’re changing diapers. They’re getting hit and they’re being paid as if they don’t matter. You can’t ask people to do this work and then pay them under a livable wage.”
Under the current collective bargaining agreement, union employees receive uniform raises, typically around 3 percent, across all department of education job titles. But the impact of those raises varies drastically depending on salary level.
In the past two decades, the pay gap within the education system has widened significantly. Between 2005 and 2025, starting paras received a $12,000 raise. By contrast, the highest-paid DOE principals saw an $87,000 increase over the same period.
“It’s like dangling a carrot in front of a horse, because we’re never going to catch up,” Kenny said. “We’re always called the unseen heroes. But if we’re really that important, show us.”
Keywords
New York City paraprofessionals, RESPECT Check bill, NYC Council legislation, education pay equity, UFT support staff, special education staff, Patrick Kenny, Adrienne Adams, DOE salary gap, underpaid school workers
