Labor unions argue over roles of paraprofessionals

When is a TA something other than a TA?

Some paraprofessionals are assigned to work with individual students and others are assigned to work with classrooms or groups of classrooms. Most of the students to whom those in the former group work are likely to be students with disabilities.

The National Center for Education Statistics (2007) reported that about 12% of full-time staff in elementary and secondary schools in the US function as “instructional paraprofessionals.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics nearly 1,300,000 people in the US are employed as teaching assistants in preschool, elementary, middle, and secondary schools, and in special education.

The difference between responsibilities of paraprofessionals has affected negotiations between labor unions and the Chicago Public Schools. In the language of the Chicago Teachers Union, a “teacher assistant” is a full- or part-time employee assigned to a classroom or grade-level. However, some paraprofessionals are not assigned to work with a classroom or group of classrooms, but rather with individual students. Many of the paraprofessionals in the latter group are represented by Service Employees International Union, not the Chicago Teachers Union.

According to reporting by Mila Koumpilova, Samantha Smylie, and Reema Amin of Chalkbeat Chicago, negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have included clashes over whether the Chicago Teachers Union should represent paraprofessionals who are currently represented by the Service Employees International Union. See their article at “Chicago Teachers Union contract negotiations cause rift with other school employee unions.”

Chicago Teachers Union represents teaching, paraprofessionals, and other school personnel (clinicians) has a long history dating to the late 1800s of advocating for educators. Not only has it represented educators in general, but it has more specifically championed teachers and paraprofessionals interests in pay, equitable treatment, and working conditions.

The Service Employees International Union of Chicago is another labor organization, one that was formed in the 1920s to represent workers who are employed to provide services for public and private institutions. These workers fill positions providing janitorial, customer assistance, child care, health care, transportation, security, and other services. In May 2024, representing greater than 11,000 workers (included special education classroom assistants), a local chapter of the SEIU announced an agreement with Chicago Public Schools about duties, pay, job security, training, and more.

This conflict is occurring in the context of cuts in positions in the Chicago Public Schools. Becky Vevea of Chalkbeat Chicago provided an overview of the Chicago Public Schools’ employees in “Explaining Chicago Public Schools: The employees” in September of 2024.

Nell Salzman of the Chicago Tribune reported about the influence of the dispute on paraprofessionals themselves and parents of children with disabilities. Her article appeared under the headline, “Crossroads of care: Special education assistants and teacher aides at odds amid CPS cuts.” Here’s her lede:

Beatrice Garcia credits the special education classroom assistants at Henderson Elementary in Englewood for helping her son speak.

“He hasn’t been verbal,” said Garcia. “But now that he’s been with (the SECAs), he wants to interact with me, he wants to interact with his brother. And he was not showing any of these signs last year at all.”

Having professionals at school she can trust is an immense help to Garcia, a single mother with two sons under the age of 10. Her youngest, JoAngel Tapia, 7, was diagnosed with autism when he was 2.

But Garcia worries special education funding challenges at Chicago Public Schools may jeopardize JoAngel’s ability to have an assistant who can support him.

After hundreds of teacher assistants were laid off at the beginning of last year, CTU ramped up proposals in its ongoing contract talks to consider hiring them to support students with disabilities.

Special education classroom assistants — a different type of CPS aide represented by a different union — expressed concerns about what hiring teacher assistants for their role would do to the quality of care provided to students with complex needs.

In early December, Service Employees International Union Local 73, the union that represents special education classroom assistants, threatened a lawsuit over the dispute, which it said would take work from SEIU members. According to recent data from CPS, there are currently fewer than 1,000 teacher assistants and about 7,000 special education classroom assistants.

Isn’t this fascinating. Here I am, over here riding my hobby horses about ensuring effective special education services for kids and families, and I wind up ignoring these macro-level events that influence the capacity of schools to deliver those services.

Of course, many readers of Special Education Today are well aware of these matters. They don’t lose sight of the context in which special education is delivered. Yay for you and thanks!

Also, dear readers who know more about these sorts of matters: Please inform us about what’s going on in the world. Please post comments about what’s happening with employment of paraprofessionals in your neighborhood. And, if you are from places other than the US, please provide your perspective.

Memo to JohnL: Pay attention!