OMAHA- During Monday night's Omaha Public School Board meeting, it was announced that a new employment contract had been released for school operations staff and paraprofessionals, who will now be receiving a 2.27% pay raise in 2023, a 2.22% raise in 2024, and a further 2.25% raise in 2025. General pay for new employees will also increase to the range of $18.48 to $20.16 per hour next year, and then $18.90 to $20.61 the next.

The significant bumps expected in the second and third years come from the incorporation of the $4,500 retention stipends, which were introduced last year in an attempt to beat the nationwide teacher shortage, into salary schedules. Staffing data for the School District's paraprofessionals is still being created, but with more than 200 paraprofessional positions for the upcoming 2023-24 school year still open, the pay raise will act as an attractive incentive to work for OPS.

Addressing the nationwide paraprofessional shortage, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professor Guy Trainin, is of the utmost importance. "Most school systems are now operating with a fraction of substitute teachers and paraeducators that they need to move forward," said Trainin. Operations staff, including custodians, truck drivers, mechanics, and technicians, will also receive the same increased compensation as paraprofessionals.

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