The education department paid thousands of paraprofessionals late for work they’ve performed this summer.
More than half a dozen paraprofessionals working in Summer Rising or extended school year programs contacted NY1 to say they had not been paid on July 27 as promised — despite all of the other staff in their schools being paid on time.
“When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, missing a check is a very big deal, and the DOE has to do better,” said Michael Sill, the assistant secretary of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents the employees.
Paraprofessionals, teaching assistants who often work one-on-one with students with disabilities — are some of the lowest paid employees in the education department. At the entry level, they earn just $28,758 annually, according to the United Federation of Teachers, which represents the workers.
Sill said the problem seems to stem from a change in payroll dates.
“We had this problem last year or a similar problem last year with paras being paid during the summer when a payroll date changed, and we did not expect that the DOE would do that again this year and we’re very upset about it,” Sill said.
The DOE was apologetic about the delay, but said all paras should now be paid for their summer work.
“Upon learning of this issue, our team immediately mobilized to fix the issue and all staff have been paid via direct deposit or by check,” DOE press secretary Nathaniel Styer said. “Communications have been sent to impacted individuals. If any further escalations are needed, paraprofessionals should reach out to SummerParaPayroll@schools.nyc.gov, and we will quickly resolve. Our paraprofessionals deserve better, and we apologize for the pain this caused.”
But several paras told NY1 they had colleagues still awaiting payment Friday, and the union had heard the same.
“The DOE did make up for a large number of those folks between yesterday and today, but we still are hearing from folks today who haven’t gotten the pay that they expect, and we continue to follow up with the DOE about those,” Sill said.
Many of the paras who reached out to NY1 said they were afraid to speak on camera for fear of retaliation by their schools or the DOE. But several noted that the late payments would cost them money due to interest or fees from missed bills.
“I actually had my cable shut off for just a couple of hours — then that check hit thankfully,” one para, who was finally paid Thursday evening, said.
A payment for maintenance also initially bounced due to insufficient funds. “You’re expecting that direct deposit on a certain day. This shouldn’t have that to happen with any of those bills.”
The paraprofessional said the experience had left her skeptical that she will be paid on Aug. 10, when the next payment is scheduled.
“It’s defeating, first of all — we’re showing up every day for the most vulnerable students. We love our students, we advocate for them with everything — I’m talking about getting them more services, getting them evaluations that maybe someone didn’t get them, we really try to do everything we can for our students. It’s frustrating. It’s hurtful,” she said.
Paras who spoke to NY1 also pointed out that their work made it possible for children with disabilities to access programs like Summer Rising.
“It bothers me because we wear many hats — you know, paras, we do just as much as the teachers. Some of the things that happen with the student, we get the first hand notice even before the teacher gets it,” another para, working the extended school year program, said.