Testimony delivered before the New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor 

Testimony from Michael Mulgrew, UFT President

My name is Michael Mulgrew, and I am the president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). On behalf of the almost 200,000 members in our union, especially the 26,000 paraprofessionals, I want to thank Chair Shirley Aldebol and the other members of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor for holding this hearing today. I also want to thank Council Member Carmen De La Rosa for introducing Intro 0692-2026, as well as Council Members Lynn Schulman, Rita Joseph and Virginia Maloney, who were early supporters of the bill. To the other 41 sponsors of the bill, the UFT is immensely grateful for your support.

Much of the work of our union is driven by our desire to make New York City more affordable for working people and families, as is the case for many of you before me. That is why it is so crucial to pass the legislation we are here to discuss today, Intro 0692-2026, which would provide an annual $10,000 to full-time paraprofessionals and a pro-rated amount to substitute paraprofessionals. We cannot have conversations about affordability without mentioning paraprofessionals, whose starting salaries are just below $33,000 per year.

For those who may not know what paraprofessionals do, they are the educators who work with our most vulnerable students. Paraprofessionals are the ones who accompany students to and from school. They feed and change their students with physical disabilities, also helping them navigate the hallways and use the bathroom. Paraprofessionals break lessons down into smaller, more manageable parts when students are feeling left behind, and they soothe and relax children having meltdowns so that teachers can continue to deliver lessons to other students. After the recent snowstorm, when we returned to in-person learning, paraprofessionals helped many children with physical disabilities get from their buses to the classroom, carrying children and their equipment through the snow. 

In other words, paraprofessionals are the ones who ensure thousands of children receive the education they are legally entitled to, and they form the foundation of New York City public schools. Yet, despite the UFT’s collective efforts, paraprofessionals are woefully underpaid due to the city’s reliance on pattern bargaining. 

Pattern bargaining is the practice of applying the same percentage-based wage increase to all municipal titles, regardless of salary. Under this practice, paraprofessionals and school-based administrators receive the same 3% raises, even though a 3% increase for a starting paraprofessional is about $900, while it is roughly $6,500 for the highest-paid school-based administrators. As salaries grow, so does the inequitable wage gap between the lowest- and highest-paid titles.

The city has relied on this practice since the fiscal crisis of the early 1970s and has rarely deviated from it. However, it is imperative to underscore that the use of pattern bargaining is entirely voluntary, and the city has broken from it when encountering what it considered to be dire circumstances. During the 1980s, an acute nursing shortage made it difficult for city hospitals to recruit and retain nurses, who could earn more working at private facilities. To fix this, the city gave nurses above-pattern raises in the 1987-90 bargaining cycle. Evidently, it was and still is within the city’s power to break the pattern when faced with a title shortage. 

We are currently facing a paraprofessional shortage much like the nursing shortage of the 1980s. There are thousands of paraprofessional vacancies due to low pay and demanding work conditions. Every minute a student spends waiting for a paraprofessional is time they can never get back, and no student should be asked to sacrifice another moment of their time. Yet the city has continued to refuse to break the pattern. Instead, it has told us that above-pattern raises for paraprofessionals must come from the salaries of other UFT-represented educators. As the employer, it is the Department of Education’s duty to provide competitive living wages to its employees, and in no other profession would workers be told to pay for their colleagues’ raises. 

Additionally, we have heard concerns from the city about increased costs associated with paying paraprofessionals more, but the city is already paying for its lack of paraprofessionals. Last year, New York City spent over $1.1 billion on due process, or Carter, cases from parents seeking money to send their child to private special education programs because the public schools couldn’t meet their child’s needs. Even if we aren’t paying paraprofessionals on the front end, we are paying for their absence on the back end.

It is time for the city to let go of the false narrative that it is bound by pattern bargaining. City officials’ unwillingness to do so has created the need for Intro 0692, which will help alleviate the paraprofessional shortage until we can incorporate that $10,000 into our collective bargaining agreements. 

Thank you for your time. I look forward to working together to ensure our paraprofessionals receive the RESPECT checks they so deserve.

Testimony from Priscilla Castro, chapter chairperson for the UFT Paraprofessionals

My name is Priscilla Castro, and I am the chairperson of the Paraprofessionals Chapter at the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). I represent 26,000 paraprofessionals who work in New York City public schools every day. On their behalf, I want to thank Chair Shirley Aldebol and the members of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor for holding this hearing today. I am grateful to Council Member Carmen De La Rosa for introducing Intro 0692-2026, and to Council Members Lynn Schulman, Rita Joseph and Virginia Maloney for their early support. To the bill’s other 41 sponsors, thank you as well. 

Paraprofessionals are no strangers to challenges — we encounter roadblocks every day. That’s why I always had confidence that we would find a way to make the RESPECT check legislation a reality, no matter what stood in our way. The paraprofessionals I represent refused to give up on this bill, and scheduled meetings with almost every member of the City Council. They shared their experiences and convinced council members to sign a pledge in support of this legislation, even before it was introduced. They held school-based rallies to build solidarity between paraprofessionals and other educators and keep the momentum going. Today, in the company of you, my colleagues and my union, I feel an immense sense of pride in my chapter. Thanks to their dedication and grit, we have another opportunity to pass this life-changing bill. 

For years, the UFT has tried to increase the salaries of paraprofessionals through collective bargaining. But due to pattern bargaining, we have continued to receive the same percentage wage increases as everyone else, despite our lower starting salaries. As a result, paraprofessionals have continued to fall farther behind. Currently, the starting salary for paraprofessionals in New York City is just below $33,000. That is hardly enough to support one person in our incredibly expensive city, let alone a family. We have reached a point where becoming a paraprofessional requires personal sacrifice, and that is simply not right.

Students and teachers are also suffering from the Department of Education’s inability to recruit and retain paraprofessionals. Without the support of paraprofessionals, school can become unmanageable for students with disabilities. Teachers also feel the negative effects of losing paraprofessionals, whom they rely on to keep their lessons moving.

For all the reasons listed above, we must pass Intro 0692 and provide paraprofessionals with $10,000 annually. The livelihood of our current paraprofessionals and our education workforce depend on it. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of my chapter. I look forward to providing paraprofessionals with the compensation they deserve.

Testimony from Anthony Barnes, Assistant Secretary for the UFT Paraprofessional Chapter

My name is Anthony Barnes, and I am the Assistant Secretary for the UFT Paraprofessional Chapter. Thank you to Chair Shirley Aldebol and the other members of the Civil Service and Labor Committee for holding this hearing. And thank you to Carmen De La Rosa for bringing this bill back to life, as well as to Lynn Schulman, Rita Joseph, Viriginia Maloney and all the other sponsors of Int. 0692-2026. 

Since the start of the year, our chapter has met with many City Council members to advocate on behalf of Int. 0692-2026 and to keep the momentum that we built last year going strong. I am now here today feeling grateful for another opportunity to speak in favor of the RESPECT check legislation that our paraprofessionals need.

Now, imagine every time you get paid, you’re still behind because your pay doesn’t cover the cost of living. Imagine walking to and from work because you didn’t have enough left from your paycheck to buy a weekly Metro Card. Imagine your lights are turned off by Con Edison because, again, you couldn’t keep up with your bills or your payment plan. Imagine not being able to pay your bills on time, to boost your credit score, or to move to a safer and bigger place for your family. Imagine keeping this all to yourself because you’re embarrassed that you have a professional job that doesn’t treat you like a professional.

I experienced those things as a paraprofessional who has worked in schools for more than 30 years, and, unfortunately, paraprofessionals still get caught up in the” never having enough money scenario”. The RESPECT check would mean relief and satisfaction for thousands of New York City paraprofessionals. This money will relieve members of many burdens that can be solved by simply having more money. It will mean they can pay their mortgages, get the roofs and floors in their homes fixed, and get their broken cars fixed. This money could be saved and invested and put towards a down payment for a home or a child’s college tuition.

This RESPECT check will start to make up for the disrespect we have endured by those that do not see us as important educators or see us as someone who can easily be replaced. This RESPECT check will greatly close the gap between the lowest-paid paraprofessionals and the top-paid school administrators. It’s time to show up for paraprofessionals like we show up for the children in the New York City public school system every day.

Testimony from John Kamps, representative for the UFT Paraprofessional Chapter

My name is John Kamps, and I am a representative for the Paraprofessional Chapter at the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). This hearing means a lot to myself and the other members of my chapter, so I thank Chair Shirley Aldebol and the members of the Civil Service and Labor Committee for holding it today. Also, I thank Council Member Carmen De La Rosa for reintroducing the RESPECT check bill, as well as Lynn Schulman, Rita Joseph and Viriginia Maloney for their early sponsorship. Finally, thank you to all the other council members who have signed onto this bill. 

Paraprofessionals are often described as an extra set of hands, and it’s true that we are willing to jump in and assist with anything and everything. However, we are so much more than that. We are an essential part of the school system. 

Paraprofessionals make sure that students get on the school bus every morning and are changed and fed throughout the day. We calm and support over-spirited students so that teachers can devote attention to the other children in their classrooms. We slow lessons down and reset our students when they get frustrated to ensure that they keep moving forward. And, although this work is difficult, it is worth it. The best feeling in the world is getting to watch a student begin to understand something after struggling and to see the glimmer in their eyes. It is this feeling and the love for our students that keeps paraprofessionals in our profession, even if it means we and our families have to make sacrifices. 

We know that we are short at least a couple of thousand paraprofessionals in New York City. This shortage forces us to take on multiple jobs within the school building, creating challenges for paraprofessionals and students alike. Rather than caring for just one student, we are often left to look after three to four additional students. For students who need a 1:1 paraprofessional, this causes them to fall even farther behind since they don’t get the undivided attention they need. And it leads to paraprofessional burnout. 

Many paraprofessionals also work additional jobs outside of the school building. Members of our chapter work as many as three jobs just to keep their heads above water financially. And still, they find a way to show up for their students every day with care and dedication. We are willing to take on extra work, but there is only so much we can take before it takes a toll on us and our families.

For many paraprofessionals, the mental and financial stress that comes with this position is untenable, and they leave the profession altogether. While no one can blame them for making that decision, this creates a vicious cycle. The more paraprofessionals that we lose, the more work there is for those who remain in the profession, making it more likely that they will leave too. We need to break this cycle, and passing the RESPECT check legislation is a crucial step in the right direction.

This RESPECT check would give paraprofessionals across the city a sense of relief and the ability to take a deep breath. It would allow us to put more food in the refrigerator, potentially work two jobs instead of three, throw our child a birthday party and spend more quality time with our families. This additional $10,000 would encourage paraprofessionals to stay in schools and attract new educators to our profession as well. It would show that the essential service we provide is appreciated and recognized.

Additionally, making the RESPECT check a reality would prove that the city is listening to us – its constituents. Last spring, members of the UFT paraprofessional chapter had the privilege of meeting with our City Council representatives to share what this RESPECT check would mean to us. We had the chance to explain what a paraprofessional does throughout the day. Since the first weeks of January, we have met with almost every City Council member again to remind them of our experiences and why this bill is so critically important. Seeing council members’ names appear on the list of bill sponsors after we spoke assures us that we were seen, and it feels so empowering to be heard. Now, as I speak at this hearing today, I feel reassured that our stories have made an impact. I urge you to vote in favor of the RESPECT check to further prove that constituents’ voices do, in fact, make a difference. Again, I thank you for holding this hearing and listening to the paraprofessionals of this city.