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Paraprofessional urges $10,000 pay increase during City Council public comment
Summary
A paraprofessional told the City Council she often skips lunch because she cannot afford it and urged passage of a bill to raise paraprofessionals' pay by $10,000; another commenter voiced support. The speaker said the raise would ease daily financial pressure after 29 years on the job.
A paraprofessional speaking during public comment told the New York City Council she sometimes goes without lunch because she cannot afford to buy one at work and urged passage of a bill to increase paraprofessional pay by $10,000.
The commenter, identified in the record only as a public commenter and as a paraprofessional, said, "Can I afford to eat lunch today? If I don't remember to pack my lunch...I know I can't afford to eat, so I'm just gonna go drink some water and I'll eat when I get home." She said the practice of skipping meals is common among paraprofessionals: "A lot of paraprofessionals do it. They don't talk about it, but we do it. We do it every day." She explained that paraprofessionals serve as teacher assistants and provide nursing- and support-type help in classrooms, and that she keeps working because she loves the students and their breakthroughs.
The commenter framed those duties against low pay and long tenure, saying she has worked 29 years and still must "penny pinch," cannot always afford groceries in her neighborhood, and often must take a train and bus to get to work. She urged the Council to approve a proposed $10,000 pay increase, stating, "This $10,000 pay increase will mean that I can breathe easy. I don't have to worry about where I'm gonna live." She directly appealed to 'Speaker Mena' to "get this bill across" and said she "can't wait for this bill to pass through city council." Another public commenter added, "This is just incredibly, incredibly important that we finally, once and for all, give paraprofessionals the pay they so rightly deserve."
The speaker also thanked organizers and said, "For the 26,000 paraprofessionals, let me just say humbly, thank you," a figure she presented as part of her appeal; that count was stated by the commenter and not independently verified in the record. The comment concluded with the speaker thanking Council members for hearing the remarks.
No formal vote or action on the proposed pay increase is recorded in these public comments.
