Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the Committee on Civil Service and Labor.

At this time, please silence all electronic devices and no one may approach Deis at any time.

Chair, we are ready to begin.

Good morning.

I'm Councilmember Shirley Aldebol, Chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor.

Welcome to this morning's committee vote on proposed introduction 692A, sponsored by my colleague, Councilmember Carmen de la Rosa, which seeks to provide work for a workforce stabilization payment to New York City school paraprofessionals.

We have been extraordinarily concerned about the persistent paraprofessional staffing crisis that has been impacting New York City's public schools, particularly in District 75 schools.

Paraprofessionals are critical members of the school environment, providing instructional, behavioral, and physical support to students with disabilities.

They help students live up to the educational and executive functioning goals described in their IEPs by offering individualized support during academic instruction, creating safe spaces to manage behavior, and helping to regulate socio emotional crises.

PARAS also provide the necessary physical assistance to students with transportation, toileting, feeding, and other needs.

And yet, despite fulfilling a crucial hands-on role for the city's students, paraprofessionals are woefully underpaid and have limited benefits.

Starting pay for full-time paraprofessionals sits around $32,000, and the maximum salary for those over 15 years of experience remains at roughly $54,000.

These wages are particularly staggering when contrasted contrasted with a March 2026 report from the mayor that estimates that the true cost of living in New York City for a single adult sitting at roughly $70,000 or $166,000 for a family of two adults and two children.

Furthermore, compounding the issue of low pay, paraprofessionals have very little flexibility in their schedules.

Moreover, full-time paraprofessionals are entitled to a maximum of only 10 days of paid leave during the school year to adjust to address health or personal issues.

A substitute paraprofessionals do not receive benefits at all.

But due to the level of vacant positions and attrition, the remaining paraprofessionals must work doubly hard to fulfill the work of multiple people and are left with little or no flexibility for coverage of students when someone takes an unforeseen absence.

Given these untenable conditions, retention and recruitment for paraprofessionals is currently insufficient to meet the needs of all the students with disabilities who require additional support.

The workforce stabilization payment envisioned in this bill would provide paraprofessionals with some reprieve for their essential work and incentivize retention and recruitment for the 2026-2027 school year.

Before we call our vote, I would like to thank the committee staff for their work in preparing for this vote and to my staff for their work in serving District 13.

I'd also like to recognize that we have been joined by council members, Hankerson, Narcis, Hudson, Gaban, De La Rosa, and Morano.

And I believe is Gennaro on line.

Yep, I'm here.

Oh, and see?

I told you he'd get on.

Okay.

Now we'll turn to Councilmember De la Rosa for her uh remarks on the legislation.

Good afternoon.

Thank you, Chair, for your leadership and to the committee for holding today's vote on intro 692A, better known as the Respect Check.

We introduce this bill because behind every successful classroom in our city, there is often a paraprofessional making that learning possible.

These are the workers who sit one-on-one with students with disabilities, help children communicate, regulate, and learn, and make sure every student can fully participate in our schools and in their educational experience.

The reality is that the people doing the essential work are among the lowest paid employees in our school system.

Entry-level paraprofessionals can earn as low as $32,000 a year, and many experienced paraprofessionals still make under $50,000 annually in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

With large gaps in our paraprofessional workforce, the consequences continue to grow in our schools.

New York City has faced thousands of paraprofessional vacancies in recent years.

Living leaving classrooms without the support students are legally entitled to and putting additional strain on teachers and school staff.

These gaps also translate into lawsuits.

A $10,000 one-time stabilization payment is a drop in the bucket in comparison to what we gain when the money goes back into our communities, into our schools, and into our workforce.

Although longer term compensation should ultimately be addressed through collective bargaining.

Stabilizing a workforce of over 25,000 paraprofessionals and reducing attrition rates that have left gaps of between 1,600 and 3,000 vacancies in our workforce for far too long.

At its core, this legislation is about dignity and recognition and respect.

If we believe 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, respect in the city that they serve.

I want to thank the 47 council members who have already supported this legislation, including other officials such as the public advocate, the Manhattan Borough President, the Brooklyn and Queensborough President.

They understand the critical role that power professionals play in helping our students with the greatest needs.

And I look forward to passing this legislation for the paraprofessionals, advocates, students, and families who rely on the largest school system in the country to set them up for a future of success.

Um last session.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now turn it over to the clerk to call the role.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

Good morning, William Martin, Committee Clerk, roll call vote committee on civil service and labor.

Proposed introduction 692A, Chair Aldebog.

Very proudly vote aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Go redstorm.

Caban.

Aye.

Thank you.

Hudson.

Aye.

Thank you.

Narcis.

Avoid I, but I want to add that we are the capital of the world.

We are leaders, but yet when it comes to paraprofessional, where we're supposed to show up, we're not showing up for the paraprofessional.

On that note, I would I let's do the right thing.

Thank you.

Hankerson.

Can I explain my vote?

I just want to say, is it okay, Madam Chair?

Yes.

Okay.

Very, very brief.

I just want to say that our powers are not just necessary, but they're vital to the work that happens within our schools.

Um I remember as I think the only one on this panel right now who uh is only about 10 years outside of high school.

Uh powers I mean, I mean, okay.

Um the powers didn't just care for the students they were assigned to, they cared for all of us.

And so to Miss Barnes, Miss V, to Miss Cookie, uh, God bless her soul, uh, they deserve it.

And so I vote aye.

Thank you.

Morano.

Madam Chair, may I uh say a word?

No, I was just gonna say, Yes, you're right.

You look a shot at it tells you that most people believe council member Hankerson is much, much older than he actually is.

Uh, I just want to uh congratulate Councilmember Della Rosa and uh thank her for her leadership on this as well as former council member powers.

Uh, never before has a bill been this widely popular among council members on a bipartisan basis and yet become so controversial and so difficult to pass.

And it's just a shame that Paris uh like one that I met in my district uh retiring yesterday are not going to get this.

I wish we had done this previously, and uh I hope we can work to expand the payments for Paris and eventually get a look back period for paraprofessionals because I echo what everybody said they did incredible, they do incredible, incredible work, especially in my district.

With that, I enthusiastically vote yes.

Thank you.

With a vote of seven in the affirmative, zero in the negative, and no abstentions.

Item has been approved by the committee.

Madam Chair, that is a full committee.

Thank you.

With that, this vote is now adjourned.

Thank you, Chair.