At the UFT’s annual city legislative breakfast, 28 City Council members heard how critical an annual “RESPECT check” would be in reversing the paraprofessional shortage in schools. They also heard appeals from union representatives for continued city funding of Teacher’s Choice and UFT programs that benefit educators, students and families.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew appealed to the council members to approve proposed legislation to provide an annual $10,000 “RESPECT check” to paraprofessionals. New York City opened the 2024–25 school year short 3,100 paraprofessionals, and more than 4,000 vacancies are expected this fall. In hiring fairs that the UFT assisted the city Department of Education with this year, people saw the starting salary “and they’re like, ‘I’m going to work at Starbucks,’” Mulgrew said at the event in Shanker Hall at union headquarters on April 24.

TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School, a District 75 program in Queens, said a “RESPECT check” would recognize the value of paraprofessionals’ work and provide financial stability.

“It’s a step toward fairness,” Taylor said. “It’s a recognition of the expertise, the dedication, the drive, the determination and the self-sacrifice that we bring to our schools each and every day.”

By the end of May, 47 of 51 council members and the public advocate had signed on to support the bill. As of press time on June 11, however, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams had not brought the bill to committee for review.

City Council members and their staff also listened to representatives of Dial-A-Teacher, the UFT Teacher Center, United Community Schools, the Member Assistance Program, the BRAVE anti-bullying hotline and the Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) program.

Among the benefits the union touted were the more than 40,000 educators who have received mental health support from the Member Assistance Program. Council members learned that the UFT Teacher Center opened 55 new sites in schools this school year for a total of 208 sites citywide, while United Community Schools now has 32 schools serving more than 20,000 students, and 256 city schools are part of the PROSE program. Dial-A-Teacher’s homework helpline has fielded 27,000 calls so far this school year, and the union’s BRAVE program, which runs anti-bullying workshops and a student hotline, has served about 4,000 students, 900 parents and 600 educators in the past year.

Mulgrew thanked the City Council for being a steadfast partner in funding and protecting public schools. He assured council members that their support of union education initiatives makes an impact on the lives of students and educators.

“We don’t play around with what you fund,” he said. “It’s too serious, and it makes a difference, and you’re seeing it making a difference.”

The council and Mayor Eric Adams have until June 30 to reach a budget agreement for the 2025–26 fiscal year, which starts on July 1.

The union also did a demonstration for the City Council of its UFT Childcare Connection program, a new tool to help members find affordable child care. Union representatives pitched a proposal to the council to expand the program so parents across the city can benefit from the information.

Ernest Suarez, a paraprofessional at the Ella Baker School in Manhattan, learned he was eligible for a voucher for his 1-year-old son when he fed his details into the system. He said his salary barely covers rent and groceries, let alone child care, even though his wife also works full time.

Suarez said the child care voucher was a godsend. “It’s a relief financially and emotionally,” he said.