Sponsors (26)
Introduced January 13, 2026 by Jesús García · Last progress January 13, 2026
The bill would meaningfully raise and protect pay for paraprofessionals and fund workforce supports through substantial federal grants, but it requires large federal spending and creates administrative, sustainability, and bargaining challenges for states, districts, and taxpayers.
Paraprofessionals and education support staff will receive higher guaranteed pay (hourly floor of $30 or $45,000 annually for FY2026–2030) with indexing to CPI or a 2% floor, increasing incomes and preserving purchasing power.
States and local education agencies (LEAs) will receive targeted federal grants to fund compensation increases, reducing immediate local budget pressure to raise pay.
Funding can support workforce development (professional development, credentials) for paraprofessionals, expanding skills and career pathways and potentially improving student supports.
All taxpayers face a sizable federal cost—$25 billion appropriated for FY2026 with inflation-indexed increases thereafter—adding to federal spending obligations.
Low-resource school districts and paraprofessionals risk losing pay gains after the grant period if local resources are insufficient to sustain increases.
States and LEAs will face administrative and fiscal strain to meet matching/timeline rules, change budgets or bargaining agreements, and implement monitoring requirements.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes federal minimum salary/hourly floors for paraprofessionals and education support staff, indexes them to inflation every five years, and funds state grants to raise pay.
Creates a federal program that sets minimum pay floors for paraprofessionals and education support staff and provides multi-year grant funding to states to raise wages. Establishes baseline pay levels (full-time salary and hourly part-time wage) starting in FY2026, requires periodic inflation-based increases, and reserves a small share of funds for research and technical assistance. Defines key terms using existing education law definitions, ties future minimums to the Consumer Price Index with five-year resets (at least 2% growth if CPI is lower), and funds the program through specified appropriations over multiple years.