Stay tuned for actions you can take to fight back until we get this bill passed. #RESPECTforParaprofessionals (3/3)

Speaker Adrienne Adams is trying to block this bill. This is a betrayal of our paraprofessionals, their families and communities who support them, as well as the 47 council members who SUPPORT the passing of this bill. We will not stand for it. #RESPECTforParaprofessionals (2/3)

But you will now have the choice of investing your savings in the Roth option, the traditional TDA option or some combination of the two.

Read more: bit.ly/4oixzwd

Unlike a TDA account, a Roth option offers no upfront tax break; instead, withdrawals in retirement are generally tax-free. If you already have a TDA account, the new Roth option does not affect your current TDA participation.

So today, we’re calling on our legislators to do the right thing. Pass the bill. Fund the increase. Close the pay gap. Because when we invest in paraprofessionals, we invest in stability, in safety, in every child’s right to be seen and supported. Our students can’t wait. Their paras can’t wait.

We have a shortage crisis. There are classrooms without enough support and children waiting for help that never comes. If we don’t pay paraprofessionals what they deserve, we lose them, and when we lose them, our students suffer most.

It’s about valuing the people who lift up our children with disabilities, including our nonverbal learners, our medically fragile students and those who cannot feed themselves, and who walk into the toughest situations with steady hands and open hearts.

I stand with the UFT and city council members fighting for a $10,000 permanent annual increase for paraprofessionals. This isn’t generosity. It’s justice. It’s how we show that we value the people who make inclusion and dignity possible for students with disabilities and complex needs.

And yet, despite this sacred work, many earn just over $30,000 a year. Even after 15 years, many still make under $50,000. That’s not a living wage in New York City. It’s a moral failure. These are the people supporting our most vulnerable children, and they are among the lowest paid in the system.

Every day, paraprofessionals step into classroom environments that demand extraordinary patience, compassion and strength. They are the calm during a meltdown, the voice of comfort when a child is overwhelmed, and the steady hands that make learning and safety possible.

My name is Christi Angel. I am the president of the Citywide Council for District 75, and I’m here alongside the UFT and the families, educators and advocates of District 75, who are standing up for our city’s most vulnerable children.

This RESPECT check will greatly close the gap between the lowest-paid paraprofessionals and the top-paid school administrators. It’s time to show up for paraprofessionals like we show up for the children in the New York City public school system every day.

This money could be saved and invested and put towards a down payment for a home or a child’s college tuition. This RESPECT check will start to make up for the disrespect we have endured by those that do not see us as important educators or see us as someone who can easily be replaced.

This money will relieve members of many burdens that can be solved by simply having more money. It will mean they can pay their mortgages, get the roofs and floors in their homes fixed, and get their broken cars fixed.