School Support Staff Set for $45K Minimum Salary and $30/Hour Wage Under New Federal Funding Plan

The “Pay Paraprofessionals and Support Staff Act” is a massive federal effort designed to overhaul how public schools pay the essential staff who aren’t teachers or administrators. Think bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, and classroom aides—the people who keep the lights on and the kids safe. The core of this bill is a mandate: states must establish a minimum annual salary for full-time support staff that is at least $45,000 and a minimum hourly wage for part-time staff that is at least $30.00, starting in Fiscal Year 2026. Crucially, both rates must increase based on the staff member’s experience. To make this possible, the bill authorizes a massive $25 billion appropriation to the Department of Education for 2026, with annual increases tied to inflation, effectively linking this new pay floor to federal funding.

The New Pay Floor: What It Means for the Paycheck

For anyone working in a school outside of teaching, this is a game-changer. The bill acknowledges that these jobs often pay wages that don't match the cost of living. By setting the $45,000 floor for full-time staff and the $30.00/hour floor for part-time staff, the legislation is essentially forcing states to raise the bar significantly. This isn’t just a one-time bump, either; the state-set minimums must also factor in a staff member's years of experience. So, a veteran paraprofessional who has been working with special education students for 15 years should earn more than someone fresh out of training, and the law requires the state pay scale to reflect that growth. After 2030, these minimums are adjusted every five years for inflation, or by at least 2 percent, whichever is higher, meaning the pay floor won't erode over time.

The Implementation Timeline: Fast Track for High-Poverty Districts

To access the federal cash—which is distributed based on a state’s existing Title I funding share—states must submit a detailed plan to the Secretary of Education. This plan has a maximum timeline of four years to bring all local school districts (LEAs) into compliance with the new pay standards. However, districts with a high number of low-income students are on a much tighter schedule: they must meet the full minimum pay requirements within just two years of receiving their subgrant. This accelerated timeline is meant to prioritize wage increases in the most financially strained districts, but it puts significant pressure on those LEAs and state administrators to overhaul their payroll systems quickly and accurately.

The Contract Worker Catch: No Outsourcing the Minimum Wage

Here’s a detail that affects more than just direct school employees: the minimum pay requirements apply to staff hired directly by the LEA and staff working under a contract the LEA has signed. This is a big deal for districts that outsource services like transportation (bus drivers), food service, or even specialized therapy. If a district contracts with a private company for, say, cafeteria workers, that company’s employees must now meet the state’s new minimum salary or wage standards. This rule prevents districts from getting around the new pay floor by simply contracting out essential services. While this protects the workers, it could force third-party contractors to raise their rates significantly, potentially leading to districts re-evaluating whether to insource those jobs or face higher contract costs.

Supplement, Not Supplant: Keeping Local Funds Intact

One critical provision ensures that this massive infusion of federal money doesn't just let states off the hook for their existing education spending. The law explicitly states that the federal funds must supplement existing state and local education funding, meaning they cannot be used to replace or reduce local dollars. This is a common, important safeguard in federal education law designed to ensure that the money goes directly toward raising wages and improving services, not just balancing state budgets. Furthermore, while the primary focus is on support staff, LEAs are allowed to use the funds to boost the pay of other school employees—like teachers or librarians—or to pay for professional development for their support staff, giving districts some flexibility to improve their overall compensation packages.