Sponsors (58)
The bill directs federal funds to raise paraprofessional pay, training, and support—especially in high-need schools—improving classroom capacity and staff retention, at the cost of new federal spending, added state/district administrative requirements, and the risk of uneven or inequitable local implementation.
Paraprofessionals will receive higher pay and/or bonuses, improving their retention and ability to work in schools and preschools.
Students in high-need and low-income schools will likely get more classroom support because federal funds are targeted proportionally by Title I to recruit and retain paraprofessionals.
Paraprofessionals will have greater access to training, credentials, and professional development, improving instructional capacity and career pathways.
Some districts and employees may face uneven or inequitable outcomes—certain districts or paraprofessionals could be left without support or face local funding/collective-bargaining barriers that limit wage increases.
State education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) must meet application, competitive-award, and reporting requirements, creating additional administrative workload and costs for states and districts.
The program creates new federal spending which could increase federal budgetary costs that are ultimately borne by taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a Department of Education grant program to fund state subgrants for recruiting, inducting, mentoring, and training paraprofessionals in public elementary, secondary, and preschool programs.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Lucy Mcbath · Last progress September 18, 2025
Creates a Department of Education grant program that gives states money to help recruit and keep paraprofessionals who work in public elementary, secondary, and preschool programs. States get allocations based on their prior-year Title I, Part A shares, may keep up to 5% for statewide/admin uses, and must competitively award the rest to local education agencies and similar entities to fund induction, mentoring, and professional development for paraprofessionals. The bill directs states to prioritize applicants that serve higher concentrations of low-income children, certain rural locales, or schools receiving specified special assistance, and defines which children count as low-income for those priorities. It sets application requirements for states but does not specify dollar amounts or an effective date in the provided text.