IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 990 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that paraprofessionals 

and education support staff should have fair compensation, benefits, 

and working conditions. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 31, 2024 

Mrs. HAYES (for herself, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. SCHIFF, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. CRAIG) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

paraprofessionals and education support staff should 

have fair compensation, benefits, and working conditions. 

Whereas paraprofessionals (also sometimes known as 

‘‘paraeducators’’) include education assistants and instructional assistants who work in elementary schools, 

secondary schools, or public institutions of higher education; 

Whereas education support staff (also sometimes known as 

‘‘classified school employees’’ or ‘‘education support professionals’’) include professionals who work in elementary 

schools, secondary schools, or public institutions of higher 

education in clerical and administrative services, transVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Feb 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR990.IH HR990

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•HRES 990 IH 

portation services, food and nutrition services, custodial 

and maintenance services, health and student services, 

technical services, and skilled trades; 

Whereas more than 3,000,000 paraprofessionals and education support staff are the frontline workers who transform schools in the United States from brick and mortar 

buildings to places of learning and support for more than 

49,000,000 students across the United States; 

Whereas, since the onset of the COVID–19 pandemic, school 

staff employment has fallen across positions and there 

are still 331,000 fewer school staff than before the 

COVID–19 pandemic, leaving schools without the necessary staff in almost every position; 

Whereas, since the onset of the COVID–19 pandemic, a 

shortage of teachers has resulted in some paraprofessionals and education support staff being expected to assume the duties of teachers without commensurate compensation or benefits; 

Whereas many paraprofessionals and education support staff 

are undercompensated for their work, and do not receive 

a living wage, much less a competitive, family-sustaining 

living wage; 

Whereas many paraprofessionals and education support staff 

are, as a matter of practice, laid off at the end of each 

school year and rehired annually, and lack job security; 

Whereas, unlike most school employees, many paraprofessionals and education support staff are not full-time employees because their services, including those of bus 

drivers and food service workers, are time delimited; 

Whereas many paraprofessionals and education support staff 

lack access to high-quality, affordable health care because 


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•HRES 990 IH 

they are intentionally hired for insufficient hours to receive health and retirement benefits, or otherwise are 

charged exorbitant employee premiums for health insurance; 

Whereas, while paraprofessionals and education support staff 

are often the most diverse subset of school employees, are 

more likely to have grown up in the communities they 

serve, and are the trusted school community members for 

many students and parents, the voices of paraprofessionals and education support staff are not always valued 

in forming school policies; 

Whereas paraprofessionals and education support staff often 

serve students facing systemic barriers, but are often excluded from professional growth and development opportunities; 

Whereas, like many school employees, paraprofessionals and 

education support staff are too often subject to workplace 

violence and other safety hazards, including contaminants 

and extreme temperatures; 

Whereas paraprofessionals and education support staff deserve real solutions that would empower them to— 

(1) work in a stable, safe environment; 

(2) have multi-year job security; 

(3) receive livable and competitive wages, access to 

sufficient hours, and fair compensation for their work; 

and 

(4) have a voice on the job and meaningful input in 

school policy; 

Whereas respecting paraprofessionals and education support 

staff is essential to creating and maintaining safe and 


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•HRES 990 IH 

supportive school environments that are conducive to students learning and thriving; and 

Whereas Congress seeks to recognize the rights, respect, and 

dignity that paraprofessionals and education support 

staff deserve as they continue to care for and educate the 

next generation: Now, therefore, be it: 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) paraprofessionals and education support 

4 staff— 

5 (A) should be compensated at a rate that 

6 is a livable, competitive wage; 

7 (B) should have access to high-quality, af8 fordable health care and health care benefits at 

9 a de minimus personal cost; 

10 (C) should be considered to be eligible em11 ployees under the Family and Medical Leave 

12 Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.); 

13 (D) should be entitled to 16 weeks of paid 

14 family and medical leave; 

15 (E) should have paid leave for all planned 

16 and unforeseen school closures, including 

17 weather-related closures, professional develop18 ment days, and other short-term closures; 

19 (F) should have access to meaningful and 

20 free or affordable professional growth and deVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Feb 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR990.IH HR990

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1 velopment opportunities during regular paid 

2 working hours that provide a path to career ad3 vancement; 

4 (G) should have sufficient resources and 

5 supplies to enable them to do their job effec6 tively and efficiently, including up-to-date tech7 nology; 

8 (H) should have access to training and ap9 propriate personal protective equipment; 

10 (I) should have representation in organiza11 tions that determine policies that may affect the 

12 working conditions of paraprofessionals and 

13 education support staff; 

14 (J) should receive notification and the op15 portunity to provide significant input about the 

16 implementation of electronic monitoring, data, 

17 algorithms, and artificial intelligence technology 

18 in the applicable school and should receive high19 quality professional development as new tech20 nologies are introduced; 

21 (K) should have adequate notice and op22 portunity to participate, when appropriate, in 

23 individualized education program meetings, be24 havior intervention team meetings, and other 

25 similar meetings relating to the students the 


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1 paraprofessionals and education support staff 

2 support, to the extent permitted by law; 

3 (L) should experience a safe and healthy 

4 working environment free from recognized haz5 ards that cause or are likely to cause death or 

6 serious physical harm; 

7 (M) should experience appropriate staffing 

8 levels to ensure that students have adequate 

9 support and that paraprofessionals and edu10 cation support staff can complete their jobs ef11 fectively, efficiently, and safely; 

12 (N) should receive adequate notification re13 garding the duration of their employment; 

14 (O) should have an employment contract 

15 that includes a provision for the automatic re16 newal of the contract at the expiration of the 

17 contract, rather than the automatic termination 

18 of the contract at such expiration, and a provi19 sion for termination of employment for just 

20 cause, rather than termination of employment 

21 at will; and 

22 (P) should have a process for reporting 

23 workplace issues and concerns to their employer 

24 in a manner that protects paraprofessionals and 


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1 education support staff and other employees 

2 from retaliation; 

3 (2) in recognition of the importance of collective 

4 bargaining in maintaining good working conditions, 

5 employers of paraprofessionals and education sup6 port staff should— 

7 (A) engage in good faith negotiations; 

8 (B) strive to reach timely and just con9 tracts that fairly compensate and protect para10 professionals and education support staff; 

11 (C) refrain from replacing paraprofes12 sionals or education support staff who engage 

13 in a strike; and 

14 (D) refrain from locking out such workers; 

15 and 

16 (3) nothing in this resolving clause should be 

17 interpreted to supersede, or as an expression of the 

18 House of Representatives support for any law that 

19 would supersede, employment terms or conditions 

20 agreed upon in collective bargaining agreements that 

21 are more beneficial to paraprofessionals and edu22 cation support staff than those described in this re23 solving clause. 

Æ 


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