What Do Paras (Paraprofessionals) Do For Income During School Off Periods? A Classroom Teacher Explains
The copy room at my elementary school smells like burnt coffee and old toner this time of year, and last week I found my para Mia leaning against the counter, folding book fair flyers while she chipped at the faded red nail polish on her thumb. It was the last day before winter break, kids were at the holiday assembly, and I asked her what she was looking forward to most over the two weeks off. She laughed, crumpled up a misprinted flyer, and said “Getting through my 6am opening shifts at the grocery store on the other side of town, honestly.”
I’ve been a 4th grade teacher for 8 years, and I’d never really stopped to ask that question out loud before. Most parents I talk to assume paras get paid year-round just like classroom teachers, or that they just get a nice long break to rest and spend time with their own kids. The truth is, 80% of paras in our state are on 9 or 10-month contracts – no pay, no extended benefits, over winter break, spring break, and the 10-12 week summer break. So what do they actually do to pay rent, cover groceries, and keep the lights on when school’s out? The answer is almost always a patchwork of low-wage, physically demanding work that most people never see.
Two years ago, I worked with Lisa, who was a para in my resource room for three years. I volunteered at our district’s free summer lunch program, and I ran into her pushing a snack cart at the local public pool. She was wearing a faded pool t-shirt over her shorts, and she told me she worked 25 hours a week there from mid-May to late August, plus watched two neighbor kids three afternoons a week. She made $14 an hour at the pool, which was a dollar less than she made as a para. She couldn’t afford to skip working – she’s a single mom too, and her rent went up $150 that year. Most paras don’t make enough during the school year to sock away thousands of dollars to cover the off months. The average para pay in our area is $17-$19 an hour, which works out to around $30,000 a year for 10 months of work. After rent, utilities, childcare, and car insurance, there’s not much left to save for two months of no income.
The list of work I’ve heard paras do over breaks would fill a page. A lot do seasonal retail work over the winter holidays, restocking shelves or working checkout when stores are short-staffed. Others do delivery for food apps or walk dogs for neighbors. Many turn the skills they already use in the classroom into side gigs: babysitting for other school families, tutoring kids who need extra practice with reading or math over summer, helping parents with full-time care during school breaks. A handful take short-term jobs with district summer programs, but those are often part-time and pay barely more than retail, so they still need a second job to make ends meet.
It took me a few years to realize that as a classroom teacher, I can do small concrete things to make this easier, and parents can too. A couple years ago, I found out our district offers a pay split option that most paras don’t know about: you can split your 10-month pay over 12 months, so you get a smaller check every month, but you still get a paycheck over break. I didn’t even know it existed until I dug through the fine print of a staff handbook, so now I tell every new para I work with about it, and help them fill out the paperwork. For Mia, that cut the number of extra shifts she needs to work over break by a third, which meant she got two full days off with her 7-year-old son this Christmas instead of one.
For parents, the easiest thing you can do is reach out if you need a sitter or tutor over break. Most paras don’t want to advertise their side gigs at school because they worry it looks unprofessional, so they don’t tell anyone they’re looking for extra work. I started adding one line to my end-of-semester newsletter that says “If you’re looking for a reliable babysitter or summer tutor, my paraprofessional is available for extra work over break – just send me a message and I’ll pass along your contact info.” Last year, three families hired Mia for small jobs over spring break and summer, and that covered her son’s soccer fees and new glasses for the whole year. It doesn’t cost me anything, it just connects people who need work with people who need help.
Another small thing: When it comes time for holiday gifts, don’t forget your child’s para. A lot of parents get gifts for the classroom teacher, but paras rarely get the same recognition or support. You don’t need to spend a lot – a $25 grocery or gas gift card is way more useful than a scented candle or monogrammed mug, and it can cover a full tank of gas or a week of groceries for someone who isn’t getting a paycheck that month.
None of this fixes the bigger problem, of course. Paras do almost as much work in the classroom as teachers, often working one-on-one with our most vulnerable kids, and they’re still drastically underpaid almost everywhere. Mia still works at least one weekend shift a month during the school year to make ends meet, even with the pay split and the extra side jobs. Last week, she told me she’s still worried about covering the new water heater fee her apartment complex is charging her this spring. But the small things add up. Last month, two parents from my class hired her to watch their kids for a whole week when they had out-of-town work trips, and that covered the entire bill. It’s not a perfect system, and it’s still a lot of extra work for people who already show up for our kids every single school day. But it’s something we can do, right now, that makes a real difference.
Please indicate: Thinking In Educating » What Do Paras (Paraprofessionals) Do For Income During School Off Periods