Gov. Markell recommends, the Joint Finance Committee votes 12-0 to compress the para salary scale from 26 steps to 10, and the General Assembly votes to make it real.

Huge salary increases for paras, ranging from 4.18% to 12%. Compression of salary schedule to just ten steps is a five-year effort.

Click here to see the new compressed schedule and a full analysis of how it will work and what new step you will be on for 2012-2013. After this year, everyone eligible will earn an experience step.

In sum, for both Service and Instructional Aides, if, at the end of the 2011-2012 year, you were on step 1 or 2, you are now on the new Step 1.
If you were on step 3 or 4, you are now on the new Step 2.
If you were on step 5 or 6, you are on the new Step 3.
If you were on 7 or 8, you are on the new Step 4.
If you were on 9, 10 or 11, you are on the new Step 5.
If you were on step 12, 13 or 14, you are on the new Step 6.
If you are on step 15, 16, or 17, you are on the new Step 7.
If you are on step 18, 19 or 20, you are on the new Step 8.
If you are on step 21, 22, or 23, you are on the new Step 9.
If you are on step 24, 25 or 26, you are on the new Step 10.

Here's what the new Schedule looks like for 2012-2013:

Service Aides

Instructional Aides

These schedules realize DSEA's top goal... to compress the current 26-step state schedules into 10 steps. The chart details the current steps and how they are compressed into the new ten-step schedule. It also shows the dollar amount of next year's salary increase and the percentage change for each new step from the current step. This is an important transition year.

This is the first of a four-year process. The Governor and General Assembly must vote each year on the subsequent changes to reach the other major goal --- raising the starting salary of Instructional Aides (new step 1) to the federal poverty line for a family of four, currently $23,050, in Fiscal Year 16 (July 1, 2015). An agreement to do this over four years was reached to ensure the affordability of this transition both to the state and local school districts. Under the state constitution, the General Assembly may appropriate funds only one year at a time. However, the intent of this agreement is clear.

By the end of this four-year process, the third major goal will also be achieved--- equalizing the percentage difference between each step. The intent of this aspect of the agreement also is clear.

We want to commend the hard work of so many of our ESP locals who worked over the past five years to bring this goal to fruition.
    We also want to commend Gov. Jack A. Markell and Lt. Gov. Matt Denn for including the base funding in the Administration's budget this year—a decision that made this change a reality.   
This was a campaign promise made in 2008, on which they have made good, in spite of the horrible economy in which we have all lived since they took office in January 2009.

   The members of the JFC are:  
-- Sen. Harris McDowell (D-Wilmington), Senate Chair
-- Rep. Dennis Williams (D-Wilmington), House Chair
-- Sen. Cathy Cloutier (R-Wilmington)
-- Sen. Dori Connor (R-New Castle)
-- Sen. Bruce Ennis (D-Smyrna)
-- Sen. David McBride (D-Wilmington)
-- Sen. Brian Bushweller (D-Dover)
-- Rep. Larry Mitchell (D-Elsmere)
-- Rep. J.J. Johnson (D-New Castle)
-- Rep. Melanie Smith (D-Bear)
-- Rep. Ruth Briggs King (R-Georgetown)
-- Rep. Joseph Miro (R-Newark).

To send them a message of thanks, you can find their contact information here.

“Salary compression” a universal union goal

Compressing salary schedules is always better than adding many smaller steps at the top. If you get to the top of the scale in ten years instead of 26 years, you have 16 years additional earning the top wage.

With compressed schedules, you start with a higher salary (you put all the money on the schedule into fewer steps, and in our case, add $750,000 more), and you get to the top quicker.

The increases between steps in the current 26-step scale range from $330 $575.
The increases from step to step in the compressed schedule for FY13 range from $730 to $1009.

And, as mentioned above, the General Assembly’s intent is to raise the starting salary of Instructional Aides to the poverty level for a family of four (still disgraceful) over the next four years, as well as to equalize the increases from step to step over the next four years.

The very nature of going from a schedule with many fewer steps means that this first year will result in unequal increases.    

July 2011... Click here for the salary schedule reflecting a $875 raise (which includes a step increase plus an amount to equal $875) which begins January 1, 2012.

Legislators, at the urging of DSEA, gave paras a larger raise than other state employees because of their goal of bringing the beginning para salary up to the federal poverty level for a family of four. That level is currently at $23,350. With the $875 raise, the starting salary for a service aide will be at $15,895, and for an instructional aide, at just $18545. We still have a long ways to go.

If you are eligible for a step increase, that will take effect with the first paycheck of the 2011-2012 school year.

Service Aides/Paraeducators
10 months, 7.5 hours/day
2010-2011
Representing restoration of 2.5% salary cut from last year

Service Aides/Paraeducators
10 months, 7.5 hours/day
There is no salary increase from 2007-2008.