NYC committee hears competing views on $10,000 pay supplement for DOE paraprofessionals

The New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor heard testimony on Intro. 692 on a proposal to provide eligible Department of Education paraprofessionals with an annual $10,000, non‑pensionable workforce stabilization payment.

Council Member Carmen de la Rosa, sponsor of the bill, said the measure — called the Respect Act in testimony — is aimed at stabilizing a workforce she described as ‘‘in crisis’’ because low pay has driven vacancies that leave students without legally mandated supports. ‘‘If we believe that every child deserves support in the classroom, then we must also believe that workers providing that support deserve wages that allow them to live with stability and respect,’’ De la Rosa said during her opening remarks.

Daniel Pollock, first deputy commissioner at the city’s Office of Labor Relations (OLR), summarized the bill’s mechanics and raised legal objections. Pollock said Intro. 692 would require the DOE to provide eligible paraprofessionals with a $10,000 lump sum, subject to proration, and that the requirement would be deemed repealed if a collective‑bargaining agreement increased total annual compensation by an amount equal to or greater than that payment. ‘‘This bill ... is inconsistent with state law governing collective bargaining,’’ Pollock said, citing the New York State Public Employees Fair Employment Act (the Taylor Law) and Court of Appeals precedent that compensation is a mandatory subject of bargaining and cannot be imposed by local legislation.

Pollock told the committee that the administration appreciates the intent behind the proposal but said the bill raises both legal and fairness concerns about singling out one job title for compensation changes outside collective bargaining. He noted the city negotiates a large number of bargaining units and said unilateral pay changes by ordinance could undermine the bargaining process and budgeting.

Council members pressed OLR on the size and urgency of the staffing shortage. Pollock said DOE estimates ‘‘a little more than 1,000’’ paraprofessional vacancies but acknowledged some witnesses and union representatives put the shortage much higher. Several council members, including Narcisse and De la Rosa, argued the city has a legal responsibility to provide special education services and cannot wait for the next full bargaining cycle as demand increases with expansions of early‑childhood programs.

Union leaders and paraprofessionals urged the committee to act. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and other advocates said pattern bargaining has left the lowest‑paid titles behind and that many paraprofessionals rely on public benefits or face housing instability. Priscilla Castro, a paraprofessional chapter chairperson, and others testified that entry pay near $32,000 is not enough to live in New York City, and they gave recruiter and retention figures ranging between 1,000 and as many as 3,000–4,000 vacancies.

Donald Nesbitt of DC 37 described family support paraprofessionals’ duties — including IEP coordination, home visits and agency liaison work — and told the committee that adding the $10,000 lump sum would help reduce turnover. A parent, Julian Morales, told the committee his nonverbal daughter lost months of progress when her paraprofessional was reassigned, and urged the council to pass the bill.

Advocates framed the payment as a practical step that could aid recruitment and retention while acknowledging long‑term compensation would ultimately be set in bargaining. OLR officials responded that the city remains willing to reopen negotiations if a union requests it and pointed to past uses of targeted equity funding within bargaining as a way to address recruitment and retention without legislating pay.

The bill’s fiscal‑impact estimate cited in testimony was about $400 million; witnesses also noted litigation and settlement costs tied to missing special‑education supports that they said exceed that amount. The committee did not vote; Chair Shirley Aldebò closed the hearing, asked that written testimony be submitted within 72 hours and said the council would follow up with stakeholders.

The hearing record includes direct testimony from OLR and multiple union and parent witnesses. No formal action was taken at the session.