A host of problems exist with the per diem (PD) teacher's aide system.

• They're paid $105/day, which for a 7-hour day equals $15/hr. Aides must also have at least 60 college credit hours. Someone can work at White Castle or 7-11 and make more than that with less education.
• PD aides have no benefits at all.
• They're not paid for school holidays. We just had an entire week off school and the district is closed two days for Thanksgiving-- how is someone suppose to support themselves when they miss 7 days of pay in a month through no fault of their own? Even a month with only one day closed with no pay is too much.
• They're required to live in JC or Bayonne. I'm ok with this if the pay was actually enough to even rent a decent room here.
• My biggest concern: there is no training at all for PD aides. They're thrown straight into the classroom, even in SPED classes. There's no professional development for them. It's not fair to the aide or the teacher, but especially not the student!
• The district relies on PD aides to shoulder all the gaps and only post full-time aide positions piecemeal. If you expect someone to work as a full-time permanent aide, then you need to give them the pay, benefits, and training for a full-time permanent aide. To do anything less is an insult to the students, parents, and PD aides.