“A bill to ensure that paraprofessionals and education support staff are paid a living wage.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes definitions under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) for a minimum annual salary of $45,000 (for FY2026 through FY2030, indexed thereafter to the greater of cumulative CPI change or 2% every five years) and a minimum hourly wage of $30.00 (for FY2026 through FY2030, indexed thereafter similarly) for full-time equivalent and part-time paraprofessionals and education support staff employed by local educational agencies (LEAs). (As background, ESEA paraprofessionals provide instructional and other support to teachers and students, including in high-poverty Title I schools.) It authorizes and appropriates $25 billion for FY2026 to the Department of Education, increasing annually thereafter by the estimated CPI change, for competitive grants to states allotted pro rata based on their prior-year ESEA Title I-A funding (after reserving 1% for research and evaluations on staff preparation and 1% for technical assistance and administration); states must apply and use grants to ensure LEAs pay staff the defined minimum salary or wage, accounting for regional cost-of-living differences.