CONNECTICUT, USA — There are more than 12,000 paraeducators in Connecticut and most are making minimum wage, just about $15 an hour. Advocates said this leaves many unable to afford basic needs, like healthcare. Paraeducators call the current situation a “crisis in the classroom.”
“Working under those conditions, is not helpful to the parents, it's also not helpful to the students,” said Cynthia Ross-Zweig, president of the CSEA SEIU Local 2001 Paraeducators Council.
Ross-Zweig has been a paraeducator in New Fairfield for 16 years. She said paras are underpaid and unable to afford quality health insurance.
“If you're making $15 an hour, how could you possibly afford a 4000 of 5000, a 6000 deductible? That's impossible,” she explained.
Tuesday, state officials launched the Paraeducator Healthcare Subsidy Program.
The state is allocating $5 million to help paras pay their healthcare bills.
“Too often I hear I got health insurance, but I can't afford my health care,” Gov. Ned Lamont said.
About 11,000 of the state’s paras are offered some type of health insurance plan by their school district, but officials said many of the plans have such high deductibles they’re almost unusable.
“How is somebody making $27,000 affording a $5,000 deductible? The answer is they're not. Which is why we're doing this,” said state Comptroller Sean Scanlon.
Around 4,000 paras will receive some portion of this funding. Scanlon said the one-time payment will be about 74% of their deductible.
“I think it's a start. It's a good start, but it's not the end,” Ross-Zweig added. “There's a lot more that we need to do.”
State leaders agree.
“We've got to keep this going,” Lamont said Tuesday. “I want to get this program extended for another 10 years, for forever.”
The comptroller’s office said payments will start going out this month.
As for the other thousands of paras not covered through this program, the state legislature created a task force to study long-term solutions.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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