SOMSD Supporters for Dignified Contracts for Skilled Paraprofessionals

On June 11th, the SOMSD Board of Education voted to approve a district leadership recommendation to switch paraprofessional staffing agencies from ESS to Delta T Group — without notifying SEPAC, special education families, classroom teachers, or school principals. 

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Paraprofessionals learned of the change the day before the last day of school from their union, Local 68. The union has already advised ESS paras to use their sick time now, which would impact our students and teachers in extended-school year (ESY) classrooms.

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This decision was made without transparency, without community engagement, and without regard for the students who depend most on stable, skilled paraprofessional support: our children with disabilities, who deserve the same quality of care and continuity as every other student in this district.

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Our paraprofessionals are not a line item. They are the reason many of our children with disabilities remain in-district, access their education, and feel safe in their classrooms. Supporting dignified contracts for skilled paras in SOMSD is not just the right thing to do — it is fiscally responsible, reduces the need for expensive out-of-district placements, decreases the district's exposure to litigation, and aligns with its stated commitment to equitable access, student achievement, and mental health. A contract that drives experienced paras out is not a budget solution — it is a systemic harm with dire ethical and fiscal consequences in the short and longterm. 

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What this actually means: Experienced paras who know our kids—who keep classrooms safe, help students access their education, help ensure necessary accommodations are implemented, and keep students in-district—are unlikely to return to our district at those rates. The cost of losing them will far exceed whatever this contract saves.

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Equity impact: This decision does not impact everyone equally. The students most harmed are disproportionately Black and Brown. The paraprofessionals losing their livelihoods are disproportionately Black and Brown women. That is not incidental—it is the broader context in which this decision must be understood.

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United Organizers: Community leaders from the following organizations have mobilized—in close partnership—to advocate on this issue: Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC SOMA); SOMA Parent Support and Action Network for IEP Families (PSAN); Care Lab Collective (CLC); and Together We Bloom (TWB)—a SOMA-based disability justice nonprofit. Community stakeholders are committed to supporting informed decision-making by our district leaders. 

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Superintendent Bing has repeatedly emphasized communication and collaboration as core commitments—and yet extended neither to SOMA's special education community, for reasons that remain unexplained. This group of local disability justice advocates is building a collective response in real time, amid summer transitions and competing demands, because our district leadership chose not to engage us as thought partners.

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Together, let's demonstrate what genuine partnership looks like—in service of the academic potential and mental health of SOMSD's students with disabilities.