New York City school paraprofessionals will get an extra $10,000 under a City Council bill that became law on Wednesday.
Roughly 26,000 paraprofessionals, who work alongside teachers in the classroom to help students, are set to receive the first of four payments in January.
“Our paraprofessionals made this happen,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. “We thank Council Speaker Julie Menin, Labor Chair Carmen De La Rosa and the councilmembers who fought so hard to get this law passed and address a long-standing injustice.”
The Council unanimously approved the “Respect Check” legislation at its July 16 meeting. Paraprofessionals and union leaders have long lobbied lawmakers for better pay for paraprofessionals, arguing the aides are not properly compensated for the work they do supporting students with special needs in the classroom.
“This law is both the right thing to do and the fiscally responsible thing to do,” Menin said in a statement.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not act on the bill, instead allowing it to pass into law without his signature. Under city law, the mayor has 30 days to either sign or veto a bill.
Mamdani had previously raised concerns about the legislation’s effect on the collective bargaining process. A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
City data show paraprofessionals’ salaries start at about $34,000, and are capped at around $54,000. Union officials said there were about 1,600 paraprofessional vacancies during the last school year. The union attributes the large number of vacancies to the pay.
The legislation can be reauthorized by the City Council each year if the city does not solve the staffing shortage through collective bargaining.
In an email to members Wednesday, Mulgrew said the union was prepared to defend the legislation in court if needed.