For further information contact:
Chris Lilienthal (717) 712-6677
David Broderic (717) 376-9169

HARRISBURG, PA (March 19, 2025) — Reps. Dan Miller and Jim Prokopiak introduced House Bill 777 this week, legislation that ensures support staff in Pennsylvania’s public schools are paid a living wage of at least $20 per hour.

PSEA estimates that House Bill 777 will provide 45% of the school support staff in Pennsylvania — about 41,505 people — wage increases of $2.90 per hour, on average.

On March 25, education support professionals, union allies, and lawmakers will gather on the front steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg at 10 a.m. for a press conference and rally in support of House Bill 777. More details about that event can be found here.

House Bill 777 would require school districts to pay paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, custodians, and other support staff a living wage that does not go below $20 an hour. The actual wage would be based on what it actually costs to live in a particular school district. The bill also calls for additional state funding to allow school districts to pay their support staff living wages.

PSEA President Aaron Chapin issued the following statement on House Bill 777:

“Education support professionals are the unsung heroes of our public schools. Their talent, dedication, and hard work are essential to the success of every student. They deserve to be paid a living wage that allows them to support themselves and provide for their families.

“We thank Reps. Dan Miller, Jim Prokopiak, and the other sponsors of House Bill 777 for recognizing the value of our school support staff and introducing this living wage legislation.

“Paying education support professionals a living wage of at least $20 an hour will allow school districts across Pennsylvania to be more competitive in the face of crisis-level support staff shortages. Support staff play critical and necessary roles in our schools. We should not be losing talented paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, or other support professionals who are great with students simply because they can make more money working at Target or Costco.

“Pennsylvanians understand that working in public schools is challenging and that support staff should be paid more for the work they do. According to a poll conducted by GBAO for PSEA in September 2024, about eight in 10 Pennsylvania voters said they support increasing minimum wages for school support staff to $20 per hour. In fact, respondents ranked increasing pay as the number one solution to the school staff shortage crisis.

“Too often the school support staff we trust with our children and grandchildren are not earning enough to get by. House Bill 777 takes action to fix that. These professionals deserve to be paid a living wage of at least $20 an hour.”

Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher and president of PSEA. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, aspiring educators, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania