WHEREAS:

Paraprofessionals, or teaching assistants and teaching aides, tens of thousands of whom belong to AFSCME, are crucial members of the school workforce and provide invaluable assistance to teachers in the classroom; and

WHEREAS:

Title I, a key section of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which is up for reauthorization in Congress, funds programs for disadvantaged students and the jobs of teaching assistants and teaching aides in the classroom; and

WHEREAS:

Under the guise of education reform, some federal lawmakers are seeking to eliminate or drastically curtail Title I funding for teaching assistants and teaching aides and to impose arbitrary and unrealistic job requirements on these workers, who receive low levels of compensation. These proposed requirements bear little or no relationship to the work that paraprofessionals do in the classroom; and

WHEREAS:

AFSCME is currently leading the fight in Washington, D.C. to protect the jobs of paraprofessionals whose jobs are funded in whole or in part by Title I; and

WHEREAS:

While the ESEA reauthorization bill that was finally adopted by the United States House of Representatives is a significant improvement over previous proposals, due in large part to AFSCME's work, significant concerns remain which must be addressed in any legislation which clears the Congress.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That while AFSCME supports various efforts to improve public education, it oppose attempts to curtail funding or to mandate arbitrary and unrealistic job requirements for paraprofessionals in the classroom; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME work to ensure that current employees be grandparented in and that any new requirements for paraprofessionals be reasonable and that any required training be provided by local school districts and developed in consultation with the union representing the affected employees; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That any new requirements be phased in to allow current teaching assistants and aides sufficient time to comply.

SUBMITTED BY:

JoAnn Johntony, President and Delegate 
Sandra Wheeler, Secretary and Delegate 
OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4
Ohio