Sponsors (12)
The bill would substantially raise and index pay for paraprofessionals—boosting incomes and staffing, especially in high‑poverty schools—while creating growing federal costs and new compliance and funding‑tradeoff pressures for states and districts.
Paraprofessionals and education support staff nationwide would receive higher, CPI‑indexed pay (e.g., ~$30/hr or $45,000 floor for FY2026–2030), increasing household income and financial stability.
State and local education agencies (LEAs) would get a dedicated federal appropriation (initial $25B and ongoing indexed funds), reducing immediate fiscal pressure on states/LEAs to raise salaries.
LEAs serving high‑poverty students would receive priority subgrants so under-resourced schools can meet the pay requirements within two years.
State and local education agencies (LEAs) must meet strict timelines and maintenance‑of‑effort rules, which could force budget reallocations or cuts to other local programs if federal funds don't fully cover required increases.
Taxpayers and the federal budget face a substantial, growing long‑term cost because appropriations are substantial initially and increase with CPI indexing.
Paraprofessionals and LEAs could see less money for direct wages and face added compliance costs because states may retain up to 2% (and the Secretary up to 1%) for administration/research, and LEAs will incur administrative burdens ensuring contracted staff meet pay floors.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes federal pay floors and a funded program to raise and index minimum salaries/hourly wages for paraprofessionals and education support staff, with state implementation.
Introduced July 24, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress July 24, 2025
Establishes a federal program and funding to raise and index minimum pay for paraprofessionals and education support staff in local school districts. States must set statewide minimum annual base salaries for full‑time equivalent paraprofessionals and minimum hourly wages for part‑time education support staff that meet statutory floors and increase with staff experience; federal law sets initial floors and an indexing rule tied to inflation. Authorizes an initial appropriation of $25 billion for fiscal year 2026 and requires each subsequent year’s appropriation to grow with an inflation measure; the Department of Education may reserve up to 1% of each year’s funds for research, evaluation, and workforce development grants to regional labs or qualified nonprofits.