Two things, first we already know the District pays their teachers very poorly, we were something like 108 out of 115 in pay for large school districts. Furthermore this is my 14th year as a teacher and I am fifteen thousand dollars below the national average. There hasn't been a raise in seven years and the district has withheld steps twice now over that same span.
With all that being said, what we pay our paraprofessionals is not much different from how other districts and states pay their paras and it's a crying shame how little we give these employees. There may however be a little leeway as the district is looking at 32 extra million dollars next year. Sadly most of that comes from the three percent pay cut teachers too three years ago.
When talking about additional funding next year this is an idea Vitti had.
From the Times Union: Among Vitti’s ideas: add 46 more paraprofessionals at a cost of $1 million. Similar to education aides, paraprofessionals in Duval spend 80 percent of their time helping students in class and 20 percent on other tasks.
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-01-14/story/duval-schools-look-forward-32-million-budget-boost
Are you freaking kidding me? We can hire 46 people, and when you add their salaries and benefits together that come to a million bucks?!? That's 21,739 dollars a person. That's not take home salary by the way, that's the whole kit and caboodle. That's what we are paying these people to take care of our children. That's shameful.
Next year the district is looking at an extra 32 million dollars and I believe we must use every penny of that not on more of Vitti's computer programs and not on more slots for his ever growing cabinet but on teacher and para pay.
With all that being said, what we pay our paraprofessionals is not much different from how other districts and states pay their paras and it's a crying shame how little we give these employees. There may however be a little leeway as the district is looking at 32 extra million dollars next year. Sadly most of that comes from the three percent pay cut teachers too three years ago.
When talking about additional funding next year this is an idea Vitti had.
From the Times Union: Among Vitti’s ideas: add 46 more paraprofessionals at a cost of $1 million. Similar to education aides, paraprofessionals in Duval spend 80 percent of their time helping students in class and 20 percent on other tasks.
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-01-14/story/duval-schools-look-forward-32-million-budget-boost
Are you freaking kidding me? We can hire 46 people, and when you add their salaries and benefits together that come to a million bucks?!? That's 21,739 dollars a person. That's not take home salary by the way, that's the whole kit and caboodle. That's what we are paying these people to take care of our children. That's shameful.
Next year the district is looking at an extra 32 million dollars and I believe we must use every penny of that not on more of Vitti's computer programs and not on more slots for his ever growing cabinet but on teacher and para pay.
I was shocked to learn how many make minimum wage or just slightly above that, even after 5 yrs.
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