Education Week - July 13, 2022 - 16

Paraprofessionals: As the 'Backbones' of the
Classroom, They Get Low Pay, Little Support
They are critical to
student learning and
well-being, but often
find better pay and
benefits in other fields
By Madeline Will
Paraprofessionals are known as the backbones
of the classroom for their work supporting student
learning and well-being. But they report feeling
underpaid and overworked-a perennial issue
that's only getting more dire as inflation soars and
schools struggle to fully staff classrooms.
Paraprofessionals, or paraeducators, are typically
hourly workers who are tapped to support
students with disabilities, supervise individual
or small-group work, help with behavior management,
and handle setting up and cleaning up
classrooms. A new nationally representative survey,
conducted by the EdWeek Research Center
in May, shows that these staffers are, on the whole,
satisfied with their jobs and feel like they're making
a difference in student learning. They don't
want to quit, but low wages may drive some out
of the classroom.
" For as hard as we work, we do deserve a whole
lot more, " said Becky Medina, a paraprofessional
at Pascual LeDoux Academy, a preschool in Denver
that's part of the public school system there.
For $15.87 an hour, she changes diapers, helps
potty train, dries tears, calms children down,
supervises lunch and nap time, and assists with
teaching small groups. " If we didn't love the kids
as much as we do, I don't know how many of us
would stay. "
Paraprofessionals say the job has become more
demanding in recent years, as school leaders rely
on them to help cover staffing shortages that have
been exacerbated by the pandemic. And as large
shares of teachers warn in surveys that they're
likely to leave the classroom, district leaders are
increasingly looking to paraprofessionals as a potential
pool for future teachers. Nationally, the
number of paraprofessionals has more than doubled
over the past three decades-in 2018, there
were about 825,000 paraeducators, compared to
3.2 million teachers.
But that pool may be drying up, too. More than
a quarter of paraprofessionals say they're likely
to leave their job within the next year and go into
a field outside of K-12, according to the survey
sample of 3,481 paraprofessionals, classroom assistants,
and school teaching assistants. Seventyone
percent of those paraprofessionals who indicated
that they're likely to leave said pay was a
major reason.
A third said they were likely to leave because
of their school's or district's approach to student
discipline. Educators across the board have reported
that student behavior has worsened since
the start of the pandemic, perhaps because of the
trauma and turbulence of the past two years.
" I know a lot of aides are quitting because
they can get paid more at a grocery store and
not have to deal with the behaviors that we're
dealing with, " said Nat Legg, a kindergarten instructional
assistant who asked for Education
Week not to share her location due to privacy
concerns. Legg makes $11.52 an hour: " It's not
sustainable. "
16 | EDUCATION WEEK | July 13, 2022 | www.edweek.org
Angela Alfaro, a
paraprofessional at
Pascual LeDoux Academy
in Denver, helps instruct
a student on cleaning up
outside.
Employers across the country and across industries
have raised hourly wages to attract workers
in a competitive job market. Some unions representing
paraprofessionals have said schools should
follow suit.
" You go to McDonald's, you go to Burger King,
and they're offering $18 an hour, " said Bernie Jiron,
the president of the Denver Federation for Paraprofessionals
and Nutrition Service Employees.
" We're an education institution, and we're offering
$15.87. "
Paraprofessionals in Denver staged two rallies
in May and June, calling on the school district to
bump up their pay to at least $20 an hour. In late
June, the district proposed increasing its minimum
"
For as hard as we work, we do deserve a whole lot more.
If we didn't love the kids as much as we do, I don't know
how many of us would stay.
BECKY MEDINA
Paraprofessional, Pascual LeDoux Academy
wage to $20 an hour by 2024, which the union says
isn't fast enough.
" Denver Public Schools is confident that we
are at or above market levels for paraprofessional
compensation when compared to school districts
in the state of Colorado, " said Edwin Hudson, the
chief of talent for the district, in a statement provided
to Education Week last month. " We totally
understand the contributions paraprofessionals
make every day in classrooms, and we are looking
Paraprofessionals " are the backbone of our schools
and deserve a living wage, " the Minneapolis Federation
of Teachers and Educational Support Professionals
said in a summary of the agreement. " These
significant improvements will allow [education support
professionals] to stay at our schools and fill staff
vacancies. "
Nationally, paraprofessionals say they work an
average of 35 hours a week in schools and make
about $19 an hour, according to the EdWeek Reforward
with optimism to our continued discussions
during bargaining. "
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, teachers and education
support professionals went on strike for 14
school days this spring. Paraprofessionals' starting
pay in the district is about $24,000 a year, and
their union pushed for that to increase to $35,000.
With the new contract, a " significant number " of
full-time education support professionals will
have the opportunity to earn that amount, the
union says. Also, all paraprofessionals will receive
a one-time $6,000 bonus, split evenly over the
next two years, and paraprofessionals who have
a decade or more experience will receive an additional
$1,000 bonus.
Rachel Woolf for Education Week
http://www.edweek.org
Education Week - July 13, 2022

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