The Cost of Being a Para

We’re not asking for more. We’re asking to live.

Summer is here! For most people, that word brings thoughts of vacations, family time, sleeping in, or finally taking a breath after a long year. For many paraprofessionals? It means finding another job. Or going back to the second one we've been working all year.

Or picking up a third. That's the reality of being a paraprofessional in New York City.

After spending ten months pouring our hearts into students, helping to teach, comforting, redirecting, translating, lifting, feeding, documenting, de-escalating, encouraging, and doing whatever our schools need, we finally reach the finish line of another school year.

And instead of resting, many of us start worrying about how we're going to pay our bills. That isn't just unfair. It's unacceptable, because paraprofessionals deserve a living wage and before anyone says that's asking too much, let's look at the facts.

Just five months ago, the Mayor's own True Cost of Living Report confirmed what paraprofessionals have been saying for years. Sixty-two percent of New Yorkers cannot meet the true cost of living. A single adult needs approximately $70,334 per year just to reach basic economic security. A family with children needs approximately $159,197 per year. What is perhaps the most shocking statistic of all? Someone working full-time at minimum wage earns enough to cover only 44% of their basic needs. Read that again. Forty-four percent.

If the City's own data tells us that working full time isn't enough to survive, why are paraprofessionals still expected to accept wages that force so many of us into second and third jobs? Why is simply asking for a livable wage treated like we're asking for something extraordinary? We're not. We're asking to live. Unfortunately, instead of seeing a serious, comprehensive strategy to finally address paraprofessional pay, we've spent the last two years hearing about a proposed $10,000 ‘Disrespect Check’.

Many paraprofessionals called it exactly what they believed it was from the very beginning, a political carrot dangling in front of us. A distraction. A way to generate support for the union’s leadership without solving the real problem. Let's be clear. No paraprofessional is going to turn down more money. We all need it but throwing non-pensionable money at us is not the same as permanent respect. It doesn't permanently raise our salary. It doesn't increase longevity. It doesn't change our pay scale. It doesn't tell future paraprofessionals that this career is sustainable. It simply delays the conversation we should have been having all along: How do we finally negotiate a contract that gives paraprofessionals a true living wage?

That should be the conversation. Instead, here we are entering year three with more promises and reassurances than actual results. As if that wasn't frustrating enough, here is another issue of why so many paraprofessionals have lost confidence in the way decisions are made by the union. Recently, I submitted my name to serve on the negotiating committee. Did I expect to be selected? Honestly, I knew there was a good chance I wouldn't be. That wasn't really the point. The point is...What does the selection process actually look like? Is there equal representation from elementary schools? Middle schools? High schools? District 75? Pre-K? One-to-one paraprofessionals? Classroom paraprofessionals? Health paraprofessionals? Substitute paraprofessionals? Every borough? Every district? Are different viewpoints welcomed? Or are committee members chosen based on familiarity and loyalty to the leadership caucus?

These are fair questions. Initially, I was told I hadn't been selected because I didn't apply.

The problem? I have screenshots proving that I did. After I sent that proof, the explanation changed. Now I was told that, after careful review, I wasn't selected because there were too many applicants to include everyone. So... which is it? Did my application not exist? Or did it exist but simply wasn't selected? Those are two very different answers. I also understand that no one associated with the Fix Para Pay slate was selected. Coincidence? Maybe. Intentional? I don't know for sure, but what I do know is that transparency matters. Trust matters. Members deserve confidence that opportunities aren't reserved for people who simply agree with leadership.

Unfortunately, too many paraprofessionals have come to expect responses like this. "It is what it is." It doesn't have to be, and that's exactly why I asked so many of you to participate in the Listening Survey. I wasn't looking for people to simply agree with me. I genuinely wanted to know whether my experiences reflected what paraprofessionals across the city were experiencing. Your responses were powerful. They painted a picture that was remarkably consistent, regardless of where people worked.

Paraprofessionals told me they regularly perform responsibilities far beyond their job descriptions. They described being overwhelmed. Burned out. Underpaid. Disrespected. Invisible. When I asked what should be prioritized, your answers were incredibly clear.

The number one priority? Higher base pay. After that came professional respect. Pension improvements. A stronger voice within our union. Longevity increases. Better working conditions. In other words...Paraprofessionals already know exactly what we need.

The question is: Does our leadership know? Or do they keep telling us what they think we should want? Sometimes, that's exactly how it feels.

The survey confirmed something I've always believed. Improving the lives of paraprofessionals isn't just about helping adults. It's about helping students. When paraprofessionals are respected, supported, fairly compensated, and able to build stable careers, students benefit too. Stable schools. Experienced staff. Stronger relationships. Better outcomes. Everyone wins.

So yes...Summer is finally here. I hope you find time to rest. To laugh with your family. To spend time with people you love. To sit outside. To sleep in when you can, and if you're one of the many paraprofessionals heading to another job this summer, know this: I see you. Your colleagues, see you. You are not invisible. This movement isn't taking the summer off and neither am I. I'll continue talking with paraprofessionals at events, through emails, text messages, phone calls, and right here on Substack. I'll continue listening. I'll continue asking questions, lots of questions, and I'll continue speaking up.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, but for the first time in a long time, I believe more and more paraprofessionals are beginning to realize something powerful: We don't have to accept ‘the way it's always been.’ We can organize, we can lead and we can demand better.

Together, we can build the chapter, and the future that paraprofessionals deserve. Until next time…Enjoy the sunshine. Stay safe. Stay cool. Rest if you can and remember, we're just getting started. 😊

-Alyson Monzon