Cambridge Residents Demand Increased Pay for Paraprofessionals at School Budget Discussion

Updated March 21, 2024, at 6:34 p.m.

Cambridge educators and residents demanded increased pay for paraprofessionals during a public hearing about the proposed $268 million budget for fiscal year 2025 at a Tuesday School Committee meeting.

Paraprofessionals — one type of educational support professionals — are school staff who support teachers and provide one-on-one and small-group support to students. During the meeting, residents described paraprofessionals as “critical” to the learning experience.

​​Jacob N. Augenstern ’10, a former ESP and a current classroom teacher in Malden, said that classrooms would not be able to function without support from paraprofessionals.

“I know from both sides of that teacher’s desk — a classroom does not function without ESPs,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you are the best teacher in the world.”

In public comments, paraprofessionals said that their CPS salaries are insufficient to keep pace with the rising cost-of-living in Cambridge.

Augenstern said that as an ESP, he was “priced out of this town.”

“It’s only after I went back to school and became a classroom teacher that I have been able to afford — clawing and scratching — to make my way back to Cambridge,” he said.

According to Cambridge Public Schools spokesperson Sujata Wycoff, as of September 2023, the starting annual salary for paraprofessionals can be as low as $26,214 and as high as $38,990 for a 6.5 hour workday.

“There’s nowhere in the city where you can really live with dignity on that salary,” said Suhail P. Purkar, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation who spoke at the meeting. “We need to put our money and our budget where our priorities are as a city.”

“It’s disappointing that wages for paraprofessionals can be as low as $28,000 — almost half of what Cambridge School Committee members make — forcing many ESPs to take on multiple jobs to support themselves and their families,” said Danielle Mulligan, a Cambridge resident.

The budget proposal — a 9.5 percent increase from the previous year — sparked worries among some city councilors during a joint roundtable with School Committee members last month.

But Cambridge Education Association President Dan Monahan said during the meeting that the increase in CPS budget from the previous fiscal year “falls short” of what is necessary to provide fair paraprofessional salaries and fund other district initiatives including the city’s new universal preschool program.

Monahan also raised concerns about the structure of budget discussions.

“Unlike any other municipality I’m aware of, there’s no opportunity for the public to advocate for additional funding from the city. The total budget is set behind closed doors,” Monahan said.

The Cambridge Public Schools budget will be voted on by School Committee members at the committee’s April 2 meeting. After being passed by the School Committee, the proposed budget will still need approval from the City Council in May.

The April 2 School Committee meeting will also feature CPS Superintendent Victoria L. Greer’s widely-anticipated midpoint evaluation, which was postponed from Tuesday’s meeting.

—Staff writer Darcy G Lin can be reached at darcy.lin@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Emily T. Schwartz can be reached at emily.schwartz@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @EmilySchwartz37.