On November 12th, over 50 East Haven paraeducators walked into the Board of Education meeting to deliver a message about the ongoing staffing shortages that are directly impacting student success. Hannah Pellegrino, Angela Catalano, and Cindy Giammatti addressed the board with a statement on behalf of the bargaining unit:

We have come here, along with our fellow paraeducators to take the opportunity to address the Board through public comment, to express our very deep frustration with the current state of the paraeducator position in East Haven Public Schools. 

For quite some time now, the District has been operating with a significant shortage in para staffing. There are currently multiple open positions in many of our schools, which cannot be filled fast enough. Furthermore, it is very common for these positions to be filled and then leave after a very short time. The turnover is downright brutal. This has created a very difficult situation for those of us who have decided to remain. But more importantly, it has seriously impaired our ability to provide the care and support that our students deserve and need. Morale is currently very low. 

We have students that we care for and love, who need constant one on one support, that we cannot attend to properly because their para has been assigned multiple students. We have newly hired paras who are sent to deal with their assignments without any training, who end up resigning within weeks and even days, because they felt unsupported while being given immense responsibility. And it is all due to this shortage. 

And yes, this position demands incredible responsibility for those who undertake it. The education, health and safety of each of those students we love so much is in our hands and yet many seem to still have the impression that this is some sort of throw-away position where the turnover doesn’t matter. Each year, more and more students enter our district with special needs and requirements. In the course of paras attending those needs, they get screamed at, bitten, kicked and spit on. They are one misread gesture or word away from having DCF called on them. Many are forced to take on other jobs to make ends meet and most are not even able to qualify or afford their own health insurance. They are the first to get reprimanded or called on when something goes wrong. 

We cannot perform our duties under these conditions. We will not be able to fill the open positions over the long term while making people work under these conditions. We cannot serve our students efficiently under these conditions. We demand change. We demand respect. Yes, we do not feel respected and it is not just one or two people who feel that way as it has been suggested. That is why we are here today.

Good evening, my name is ___________________ and I’m a paraeducator at ________________. As my fellow para was saying. We do not feel appreciated and we do not feel respected. Which is why we want to share with this Board a specific list of things that paras have been clamoring for to help us do our job and give the students of East Haven the education they deserve. 

1. We need better and more efficient training, at all levels but especially when starting out as new hires. It is not reasonable for newly hired para to be given a stack of papers, a list of modules and zero training, then thrown into the job without even explaining what the position entails. 

2. Speaking of training, let us be specific and make sure to mention we mean paid training. It is also unreasonable to expect paras to complete live training or training modules that are required for our job, to be done on our private time. We have families just like you do. We have 2nd and in some cases third jobs because we do not make enough money. Training is part of work. You want us to work, pay us. 

3. Still regarding training, it has often been the case that paras who require training for specific things they are doing like CPI, training to handle specific equipment or to assist students with mobility issues are often met with disdain and the para feels they are somehow getting in trouble for wanting to serve the students better. This is not acceptable. Also, if the request is met, it is often done in a dismissive and incomplete manner. Students deserve better. We deserve better. 

4. We need more participation in the schools we work at. We are often treated as second class workers and decisions are often made without our input even though they affect us directly. This is part of our work. 

5. We need better pay. We recognize that the district did offer solid pay increases on our last contract negotiations and this was done in the hope it would attract more people into the job. But we are halfway through the school year and it is safe to say that it was not enough. Starting salaries for paras need to start at around 20 dollars per hour and work their way up from there. It has always been the policy of the district to encourage people with college degrees and teaching certificates to apply for these positions but why would they? Why would a college graduate take a job making less than $20,000 dollars a year while taking up so much responsibility, when they can get paid more, taking far less risk somewhere else? 

With this message, we hope the Board of Education will begin to understand that definite, immediate changes need to start taking place. It is the education of our children that is at stake here. No school district can provide comprehensive education services to children with special needs without a trained, professional workforce providing these services in a safe and adequate work environment. Thank you for your time.