Markey leads resolution for stronger protections of school support staff

Date: 11/13/2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Malden) has put forth the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights to reform the working conditions of school support staff.

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge) have supported the resolution, which addresses the critical concerns of low pay and lack of benefits for essential school workers such as classroom assistants, bus drivers, and custodial staff.

The move to propose this bill of rights arises amid concerning statistics, including a 2022 survey that brought to light the financial hardships of education support staff, with one in five paraprofessionals needing to use a food pantry and 25% unable to afford to live in their work communities.

Markey remarked on these workers’ crucial yet overlooked role, saying, “For too long, we have asked paraprofessionals and education support staff to do too much with too little.” He emphasized the need for these employees to have “the pay, benefits, and job security they deserve.”

The resolution has garnered endorsements from a broad spectrum of education and labor organizations, reflecting a united front in improving education support professionals’ work conditions.

The proposed bill of rights seeks to guarantee living wages, health care, paid leave, essential job resources, a voice in workplace policy-making, safe work conditions and secure employment with room for professional growth.

Catherine Mastronardi, president of the Springfield Federation of Paraprofessionals, and representatives nationwide attended the Nov. 6 announcement. She said the local was the largest in Massachusetts and had been a member of the American Federation of Teachers since 1980.

Mastronardi stood with support staff from over 20 states. “Together, we represent millions of hardworking professionals who work with our students daily. School and support staff all around the country invest in the students and their community,” she said.

The Springfield union has given away tens of thousands of free books to schoolchildren. “We do this because we know literacy is one of the real solutions for our kids,” Mastronardi said.

She added the resolution represented real and tangible answers for support staff, including improved compensation, benefits and working conditions. “I am grateful to Senator Markey because he believes in investing in us,” she said. “He recognizes our rights, respect and dignity that all school and college support staff deserve.”

Markey thanked paraprofessionals for transforming schools into “safe and healthy spaces where students can grow and learn and thrive.”

Paraprofessionals are part of the “whole system” approach to education.

“We are building up the next generation to dream up the solution to the problems that we have not yet fixed,” Markey said. “For too long, we have placed the responsibility of turning educational opportunities into a reality squarely on the undervalued and overtaxed teachers, paraprofessionals and education support staff. We have asked you to do too little, too much with too little.”

Markey recalled working as a substitute teacher in the Malden Public Schools after college. During his brief tenure, he witnessed the hard work put in by paraprofessionals and education support staff.
Besides classroom duties, paraprofessionals include bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and others. Markey noted that 331,000 people have left school jobs since COVID-19.

The senator added that paraprofessionals and support staff face low wages, poor benefits, and no job security. “You should not work all week and receive a zero-dollar paycheck one week per month because of healthcare deductions,” Markey said.

In addition, staff should not face annual layoffs at the end of a school year, left wondering if they will have a job come fall. Markey said he stood in solidarity with union leaders who flanked him at the event.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, stated the resolution “recognizes the important role these educators play in our schools and our kids’ lives and calls for fairer pay, better benefits, workplace safety and access to training that will give these jobs and the folks who do them the respect they deserve.”

AFSCME President Lee Saunders urged Congress to “establish foundational protections for these essential workers.” Moreover, Becky Pringle of the NEA underscored the resolution’s potential impact, noting that its passage would demonstrate Congress’s recognition of the “invaluable contributions these dedicated workers make every day.”

The resolution addresses the systemic issues that have led to high turnover in the education sector and fosters an environment where support staff can thrive and provide better support to the nation’s students.