In Unity and Solidarity:

 In Preparation for Contract Negotiations, and In Support of Passing the Respect Bill : An Open Letter from NYC Paraprofessionals Calling for Structural, Pedagogical Reform

Dear UFT Leadership,

The Respect Bill, as written, does not reflect the full reality or worth of New York City’s paraprofessionals. While it addresses pay through a legislated formula, a bill can only mandate what falls within the scope of law, not what belongs to collective bargaining. To truly honor the backbone of our schools, the Respect Bill would need to work in tandem with the systemic contractual revisions outlined in this letter. Anything less continues a cycle of undervaluation and inequity that has long defined the paraprofessional experience. Legislation can set the financial framework, but only our contract can secure the structural, pedagogical, and professional protections paraprofessionals deserve.

We want this bill to pass because we need the financial relief it provides; paras are not in a position to turn down additional income. 

But to transform this moment into lasting equity, the comprehensive work must happen at the bargaining table. Only contractual reform will turn the Respect Bill from a symbolic gesture into meaningful, enforceable change.

Paraprofessionals are not assistants.

We are educators.

We are, in practice, integral members of pedagogy. We facilitate instruction, support individualized learning, implement behavior plans, adapt materials, interpret communication systems, and ensure inclusion truly occurs. We open classrooms, greet families, and close the doors long after dismissal.

This is precisely why we are asking the UFT to champion contract structures that affirm paraprofessionals as part of pedagogy. Because in its current form, the system isolates us and positions us as subordinate.

The DOE would not function a single day without its paras, and the UFT would not exist in its current strength without us.

We are not a subsection of this union.

We are this union.

Furthermore, we are not simply DOE employees. We are educators who carry classrooms, stabilize school communities, and uphold the very mission this system claims to honor

Correcting Historical Inequities Must Be Structural, Not Symbolic

Pattern bargaining has trapped paras in an outdated classification system that fails to reflect our pedagogical role. The Respect Bill’s formula acknowledges this truth. However, our contract has yet to correct it. 

Moreover, in parallel with the Respect Bill, our letter calls for transparent, accountable pathways that eliminate the inequities embedded within the current paraprofessional pay structure, including:

*A unified compensation structure that integrates the Teaching Assistant license into the pedagogical pay scale, with credit for both DOE service years and college coursework.
*Advancement pathways that do not segregate paras from pedagogy, but bring us into alignment with other instructional roles.

Both our letter and the bill refuse quick fixes. However, the Respect Check is not structural change because it is not pensionable, leaving para pay core inequities untouched, and it does nothing to raise base salary or adjust salary steps in a way that meaningfully alters long-term economic security for paraprofessionals.

Furthermore, professional development, empowerment, and equitable access to information are essential.

A major and often overlooked inequity affecting paraprofessionals is the inconsistent access to professional development, training, and career advancement information across schools. In my own school, paraprofessionals experience a deeply empowering culture, one where we are offered training, collaboration time, and meaningful professional responsibility. I have seen this same level of empowerment in a few other schools in our district, but it is far from universal.

Many paraprofessionals across District 30 do not receive timely information about PD opportunities, the Career Training Program, or pathways toward licensure and advancement. These gaps widen inequities and prevent paras from fully utilizing the supports that already exist.

Allocating knowledgeable and genuinely elected paraprofessional representatives who are compensated for their commitment to informing paras across the city is imperative. The current structure is not working as intended. While para reps are technically elected, many run unopposed, and some do not collaborate with their chapter leaders, which further perpetuates division between job titles and leaves paraprofessionals without consistent or equitable support.

We are calling for an intentional and redesigned structure in which paraprofessional representatives receive release time and a monthly prep period to meet with neighboring schools, share information, and collaborate meaningfully. Ensuring that these representatives have the time, compensation, and responsibility to communicate opportunities to their paraprofessional staff would significantly close existing gaps and bring greater equity across schools.

This means paraprofessional representatives would not be housed in every school. Instead, for example, one representative would support every 30 paraprofessionals. This model reduces redundancy and ensures that para reps are specialized, well trained, and able to serve their members effectively.

Moreover, We are not asking for paraprofessionals to be paid as teachers without meeting the same obligations. We are asking for compensation systems that reflect reality:

Many paras lead classrooms,
Many hold degrees and substantial college credits,
And a significant cohort uses the paraprofessional role as a stepping stone into pedagogy within the NYC DOE.

For these paras, salaries should extend beyond the P9 pay ceiling and be aligned with workload, qualifications, and the pathways the DOE and UFT themselves encourage us to pursue.

Hiring, staffing, and job security should be aligned with actual student needs, not outdated timelines or rigid procedures. The introduction of hiring fairs gives me real hope, as they mark a meaningful and much-needed step toward improving recruitment and retention.

Just as Int. 1261-2025 seeks to correct structural disparities by tying compensation to consistent year-to-year data, there are a few more call to action we’d like to make. Our letter also highlights the need for a reformed nomination process and a realistic open market period. Because paraprofessional assignments depend on student IEPs and enrollment numbers (which are unknown in June, July, and even early September)  we propose shifting the open market window for Paraprofessional titles to November 1st–January 1st. This aligns hiring with real data and prevents vacancies from destabilizing schools.

Our commitment to our schools is unwavering, but the system must meet us halfway.

The Respect Bill acknowledges that the City has a responsibility to correct inequities created by decades of bargaining practices. Our letter asks the UFT to partner in this effort by advocating for policies and contract structures that recognize our value, secure our roles, and protect our professional dignity.

We believe this is a historic moment. With Int. 1261-2025 setting a public precedent, the UFT now has a unique opportunity to lead boldly, advocate fiercely, and ensure that the 27,000 paraprofessionals who keep New York City’s schools running are finally treated with the respect we have earned.

Anything less is not respect. It’s rhetoric.
 This is not a request; it’s a demand rooted in justice and solidarity.

 Paraprofessionals have carried classrooms through pandemics, budget cuts, and policy shifts. We have earned not symbolic gestures, but structural change.

As Zohran Mamdani said in the closing of his victory speech:
 “We are not afforded the luxury of waiting because too often, to wait is to trust those who delivered us to this point.”
 UFT, we cannot wait.
 Do not speak about us. Speak with us, and stand behind us as we demand the dignity we have already earned.

If our demands are not met:
 We will mobilize in solidarity with our co-educators — teachers, therapists, and school staff — to demonstrate that we are all classroom educators and must all be afforded the same protections under pedagogy. This includes coordinated school-based advocacy campaigns, district-wide informational meetings, and public actions that center the shared mission of equity in education. We will make our unity visible through collective visibility days, petitions, open letters, and joint statements from entire school teams. True respect will only be achieved when paraprofessionals and teachers stand together, shoulder to shoulder, demanding parity, recognition, and a contract that reflects the value of our shared labor.

In unity and solidarity,

Agustina L. Miguel
Paraprofessional Representative P.S. 361Q

Dual MAT Childhood & Special Education Candidate, Queens College