Paraprofessionals at PS 157 in the Bronx showed support, including Maria Gonzalez, a former school cook whose first day as a paraprofessional was on the Day of Action.
UFT members supported the “RESPECT check” legislation on Nov. 13 by holding teach-ins, encouraging political action and tagging City Council members on social media in photos of themselves wearing blue and holding “RESPECT for Paraprofessionals” signs.
The paraprofessional Day of Action was also an opportunity to thank the 26,000 Paraprofessionals Chapter members.
At PS 6 on Staten Island, paraprofessionals invited members to visit the teachers’ lounge during lunch to learn why the RESPECT check is needed, write thank-you’s for the “shout-out wall,” don a RESPECT Paraprofessionals T-shirt and take photos in front of a backdrop festooned with balloons, said Tara Joyce, the school’s paraprofessional representative.
Paraprofessionals’ compensation is not aligned with their value, said Joyce, who works in the Horizon program for students with autism. “As a paraprofessional, more and more is being asked of us as part of the educational team,” she said.
Paraprofessionals are underpaid and underrespected, said Aurora Benitez, the paraprofessional rep at PS 110 in Queens and District 24 paraprofessional coordinator. “I think it’s time for us to be appreciated a little bit more and close that gap between paraprofessionals’ pay and teachers’ pay,” she said.
PS 110 held a breakfast for their paraprofessionals and those at a co-located District 75 school, Benitez said. “It felt really great knowing that they acknowledge our work and how hard we work on a day-to-day basis,” she said.
At PS 157 in the Bronx, paraprofessionals had their photos taken in a photo-booth frame with signs, including “PS 157X DEMANDS RESPECT for PARAS.” Maria Gonzalez, whose first day as a paraprofessional was on Nov. 13, was one of them.
She used to be a cook in the school kitchen but wanted to work with students, she said. “In the classroom, I get to help them more closely with the work,” she said.
As a mother of three, including one in college, the check would be especially helpful, Gonzalez said.
Irene Oliva-Sutherlann, the paraprofessional representative at PS19 in Queens, took photos of paraprofessionals holding signs they wrote about how the money would help them. Their answers included paying student debt, continuing their education and earning enough to do more than just survive, she said.
A paraprofessional for 17 years, Oliva-Sutherlann said many teachers have been surprised to learn how little paraprofessionals earn. “They really support us,” she said. “They think it’s fair to get paid more for all the jobs that we do.”
