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How to solve the school support staff shortage: Increase wages

The best way to address Pennsylvania’s crisis-level school support staff shortage is to increase minimum wages for paraprofessionals, secretaries and clerical staff, health support staff, food service, maintenance personnel, bus drivers, custodial staff, and IT staff, so that caring, qualified adults know that they can make a family-sustaining living in public education.  

Securing a living wage for all education support professionals by increasing their minimum wages to at least $20 per hour is a top priority for PSEA. We’re pushing this issue both in the state Legislature and at the bargaining table in contract negotiations, because we believe that every support professional, no matter what public school they work in, should be paid fairly and respected for the incredible work they do.

The information here provides details about the minimum and average wages for support professionals in each of Pennsylvania’s school districts.

ESP Minimum Wage Data

ESP Maximum Wage Data

PSEA Wage Best Practices

To increase minimum and average support professional wages in every school district, PSEA’s staff and local leaders follow a series of research-based best practices that we know work to establish the best and most equitable salary schedules for PSEA members. 

PSEA is strong because educators like you … Belong

PSEA members are powerful when they combine their voices and advocate for themselves and their students. Every PSEA member can make a difference, whether they are advocating for salary increases with their legislators or supporting their bargaining teams in their local associations. 

PSEA members’ voices matter. YOU can make a difference. Get INVOLVED!

Public support for raising wages is very high

Pennsylvanians realize how challenging it is to be an educator or support professional and support increasing salaries and wages in their community public schools. 

✅ The majority of Pennsylvanians say local public schools are excellent or good.
 
✅ Pennsylvanians rank increasing pay as the number one solution to the school staff shortage crisis. People recognize that working in public schools is getting harder, not easier, and they think educators should be paid more for the work they do. 
 
✅ Around 80 percent of Pennsylvanians think that educators should make at least $60,000 a year and that support professionals should be paid at least $20 per hour. People in our communities understand that people who work in public schools should get paid what they deserve.

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