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UFT demands Council speaker give 'RESPECT check' a hearing

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Give 'RESPECT check' a hearing
Erica Berger

TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School, a District 75 program in Queens,  says the recurring $10,000 annual payment would be "a lifeline" for paraprofessionals.

Give 'RESPECT check' a hearing
Erica Berger

UFT President Michael Mulgrew presses City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams "to intervene" in getting the "RESPECT check" bill moved toward a vote in the City Council. "The rules are the rules," he said.

The UFT has turned up the pressure on City Council leaders to bring the "RESPECT check" bill for paraprofessionals to a committee hearing and a vote.

Forty-seven of 51 City Council members have co-sponsored the bill, which would give every UFT-represented paraprofessional an annual recurring payment of approximately $10,000. More than 104,000 people have signed a petition in support of the legislation. But Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has not brought the bill to a committee hearing, which is a prerequisite for a vote.

"Because of the number of people who have signed on to this bill, they must give us a committee hearing. Period, end of story," said UFT President Michael Mulgrew at a news conference outside City Hall on June 20. "I am asking the speaker to intervene. The rules are the rules."

The ÐãÐãÖ±²¥estimates that the Department of Education must hire 4,000 to 5,000 paraprofessionals by September to start the school year full staffed. Mulgrew and other elected officials warned of a staffing crisis in September if the city cannot fill the vacancies because the job pays too little.

"Every time we can't fill a para position, that is a child not getting their services," Mulgrew said.

Priscilla Castro, the chairperson of the Paraprofessionals Chapter, said it is not OK for the speaker to hold back legislation. "Our paraprofessionals are waiting," she said. "It's an injustice for our students."

Castro said paraprofessionals, whose annual salary ranges from just under $32,000 to about $53,000, are leaving New York City because they cannot survive on their wages.

Erik Bottcher, one of four City Council members who spoke at the press conference, said the legislation would solve two major problems: the woefully low pay for paraprofessionals and the thousands of students with special needs who are not getting the services they need because of the paraprofessional shortage.

"If there's any child in New York City who's not getting the education that they should be getting because of the staff shortage, that's on us," he said.

Menin said parents are voicing their concerns to her. "I get emails and phone calls all the time at my district office from parents who are saying, 'Why are there vacancies in their school for paraprofessionals?'" she said. "And obviously, we know the reason."

TreVaughn Taylor, a paraprofessional at P721Q John F. Kennedy Jr. School, a District 75 program in Queens, said he spoke for the "thousands of paraprofessionals across New York City public schools who show up every day with light, life, love, compassion and unshakeable dedication."

Taylor said the $10,000 RESPECT check is a necessity for paraprofessionals ""It is a lifeline," he said. "It's a long overdue recognition of the expertise, the passion, and the sacrifices paraprofessionals bring every single day. It's a step toward dignity, towards fairness and towards justice."

Related Topics: Political Action