As an education support professional in Hawley, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles east of Scranton, she鈥檚 been a teacher’s assistant, substitute, district registrar, homeless liaison and attendance officer. She鈥檚 currently the principal鈥檚 secretary, serves on the city council, is a board member for the state education retirement system and is the president of her district鈥檚 educational support professionals union.

Her experience and passion for helping homeless youth were reasons why she was recently named the Pennsylvania State Education Association鈥檚 Dolores McCracken Education Support Professional of the Year.

Monaghan was the Wallenpaupack district鈥檚 homeless liaison for 15 years. She helped arrange transportation for students and when they didn鈥檛 come to school. Before the pandemic, she launched a nonprofit in an effort to find temporary housing for students who didn鈥檛 have a permanent home.

When Monaghan received news about her award in November, she said in a that she was honored to be associated with its namesake, who was the first educational support professional to serve as president of the state teachers union. McCracken died of cancer in 2018.

鈥淗aving known Dolores and witnessed all that she accomplished on behalf of education support professionals makes this so much more significant and humbling,鈥� Monaghan said. 鈥淚 have tried to use her belief that if something needs to be done, you just do it and then move on to the next project, all with the hope of improving circumstances for those around you.鈥�

There are more than 2.2 million education support professionals in U.S. public schools, according to the . These include paraprofessionals, office staff, food service workers, security personnel, bus drivers and custodians

More than 75% of education support professionals have responsibilities for ensuring student and student safety. About 84% work full time, with an average of $37,097.

Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a that Monaghan is a 鈥渕odel of dedication and citizenship鈥� and consistently gave back to her school and community. 

鈥淎nn excels on so many levels,鈥� Chapin said. 鈥淪he is a compassionate leader, hardworking volunteer, skilled support professional and effective public official. As a leader in her local [union] and in PSEA, she is a strong voice for her fellow support professionals.鈥�

Monaghan spoke recently with 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Lauren Wagner. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell me about your time as a homeless student liaison.

I was a homeless student liaison for about 15 years. I did not realize how many students are homeless in this district. A lot of people didn’t realize. Our poverty rate is 64% to 65%, but we have a good tax base because we’re land-rich. So people were like, “What do you mean we have homeless students? We don’t have homeless people in this area.” I was like, “Yeah, you do. If you really look very closely at the definition, we have a lot of homeless in this area, especially kids.” I became very interested in the topic, especially when we tried to find places for some of these kids to go. I realized there was nowhere to go in this area. 

Wayne and Pike counties are the only two counties in the state that do not have a homeless shelter. It was not a new situation for the district, it was just one that was never really acknowledged. I was able to work with the administration 鈥� even though we didn’t have a place to send the kids 鈥� and we were able to work with agencies and made sure they had transportation. The district was really good about taking care of all that. Even though I’m not the homeless student liaison anymore, I work with the person who is now the liaison, and I haven’t given up on the idea of getting a homeless shelter in the area.

In your work with the homeless community, you began the creation of Hawley Forward, an afterschool program nonprofit. How is that going?

The whole idea started prior to COVID, and we had a building that we wanted to see if we could talk to the owner into donating and turning it into a hub for afterschool programs. There was space upstairs that we thought about making into a dorm area for kids we call sofa surfers 鈥� for whatever reason, they’re not with their parents or they don’t have a place to go. With COVID, all those plans fell through. So we’re still working on that. I’ve been talking to one of the local pastors who has a church property they’re not utilizing. They’re talking with their church council, so we may be able to do something on a small scale for our students. Sometimes we just need some place for kids to spend a couple of nights because there’s something going on at home and things are not stable. We’ve had seniors who aren鈥檛 able to be at home, and we just have to get them through to graduation. That’s what we’re hoping to still be able to do.

What made you want to go into education?

When I was in high school, I wanted to go to college and I wanted to be a teacher. I got my teaching certification in New York. I taught for the Diocese of Brooklyn for a number of years, and then I moved to Pennsylvania. But there were no teaching jobs available, so I subbed for a while and then I was asked if I wanted to take a position as a teacher assistant to do attendance and study halls. That’s how I got into working at the school here. That position just gradually morphed into what it ultimately became. 

I was ready to retire three years ago, and the principal asked if I would take over as [his] secretary. He said, 鈥業 can coach you.鈥� Because I wanted to be a grandma, I worked out babysitting issues with my daughter. And I stayed on to be the administrative assistant. 

You鈥檙e the president of both a local education support professional union and the Pennsylvania State Education Association鈥檚 northeastern region. What are you working on in both positions?

I’ve been the local union president since 2009 and am finishing my third year as president of the Northeastern Education Support Professional Division. Right now, my local Wallenpaupack union isn鈥檛 negotiating. We settled a contract last year, so we’re in the second year of the new contract. But [for the regional organization], I’m working with the Bloomsburg School District. They have a whole bunch of new leaders and they’re going into a negotiation, so we’re trying to work with them to get fully acclimated. 

Advocating for a living wage for support staff is still key. I know support staff who have been in their job for 25 to 30 years and are barely making $25,000 a year. That’s not a living wage, and especially in this day and age, with the cost of groceries, gas and utilities. Even [making] $15 an hour, we have people who work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. It’s important that support staff be recognized and be paid adequately, because buildings could not run without support staff. We’re the ones who answer the phones, keep the place clean, keep the kids fed, get them to and from school. It’s a vital role, and it needs to be recognized. For a lot of years, people [thought] it was just a side job. But it’s a career for people, and we need to support them in that profession. We don’t have as many dedicated people coming in as we used to because the money is not there.

Talk to some high school and college students about this year鈥檚 Free Application for Financial Student Aid, or FAFSA, and they share their concerns as well as their optimism. Few voice anger about the glitches that have made this financial aid season so stressful.

Why? Because they understand that is the key to $150 billion of college grants, work-study funds and federal student loans that will pay for college. They understand that FAFSA is not the enemy.

Regardless, the number of FAFSA submissions are down nationwide, including Texas, because of problems with the form that have delayed some students from completing the application and have discouraged others from attempting it.

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High school and college counselors, advisers and administrators know this and have scheduled a second wave of workshops now through early May to encourage students to fill out the form and submit it.

About 200 students who had questions about their application participated in the bilingual FAFSA Workshop on April 20 at the Education Service Center Region 19 to get answers. Almost all came with family members, a laptop computer and financial information with the hope that they could start, or submit their applications that day.

Among them was Yaxley Bouche, an 18-year-old senior from Austin High School. She and her mother, Diana, wanted to complete the parent portion. Once done, the student could submit her FAFSA.

鈥淚鈥檓 a little stressed about how much money I will get,鈥� said the Central resident who wants to study nursing at El Paso Community College or the University of Texas at El Paso. 鈥淲ill it be less than others because I鈥檓 submitting (my application) late?鈥�

With the help of a small army of volunteers, mostly from EPCC and UTEP, students found the guidance they needed.

The two institutions organized this special event and agreed to participate in others during the next two weeks to help other families that have been confused by FAFSA.

One volunteer helped Diana Bouche start an account, which will take three days to be verified. After that, her daughter can submit her application, which should be accepted in 10 business days.

鈥淚鈥檓 not comfortable yet,鈥� Yaxley Bouche said as she closed her laptop before leaving. 鈥淚鈥檓 still concerned with the wait.鈥�

Fewer seniors complete FAFSA

According to the as of April 12, only 29% of high school seniors have completed their FAFSA. More than 1.2 million have submitted their application, but that is 36% less than this time last year.

The network鈥檚 numbers show that almost 34% of Texas senior class 鈥� approximately 373,000 鈥� has completed the application. Since the Class of 2022, Texas has mandated that high school seniors submit a FAFSA, the Texas Application for State Financial Aid, known as TASFA, or sign an opt-out form.

In an effort to make the FAFSA process easier, Congress passed the . The new application was to be more user-friendly with fewer questions (36 down from 108). It also was supposed to expand the eligibility for federal financial aid.

The U. S. Department of Education released information late last year that the number of Texas students eligible for a Pell Grant under the new FAFSA would increase by almost 51,300, and the ones who would earn the maximum Pell amount would grow to about 132,700. A Pell Grant is federal need-based aid awarded to millions of students annually.

The DOE normally releases the FAFSA on Oct. 1, but this cycle鈥檚 forms were not released until the last week of 2023. Since its launch, the application has suffered several setbacks because of technology and human error.

Financial aid offers lag behind

Karla Cid, 18, and her mother, Veronica Cid, traveled from Fabens to participate in last weekend鈥檚 FAFSA Workshop. The parent did not have a Social Security number and the pair sought a way to create and verify the mother鈥檚 account.

鈥淭his is confusing to everyone,鈥� said Veronica Cid, who, like her daughter, spoke through an interpreter. 鈥淣o one can help. We鈥檙e all in the same boat.鈥�

Cid, a first-year psychology student at EPCC, said she filled out last year鈥檚 FAFSA form and earned a Pell grant for almost $3,700. The 2023 Fabens High School graduate questioned why the government had to change the process.

鈥淚f I don鈥檛 fill out the FAFSA, I can鈥檛 go to school,鈥� said the younger Cid, who works for a fast-food franchise in Fabens. 鈥淚鈥檓 stressed. If I have to pay out of pocket, will I need to work more?鈥�

Despite her application ordeal, she was confident things would work out. Her Plan B is to take fewer courses and go part time.

Ian Valdez, a college and career adviser at Socorro High School through Advise Texas, said that he was aware that one of his students had received an aid offer from a four-year institution. Results of a survey done last week by the showed that 16% of public universities had started to send aid offers, while 54% of higher education institutions had not packaged aid offers yet. It also reported that at this point in a typical year, more than 80% of the institutions would have sent their aid offers to students.

Valdez said that among the main issues his students have shared during this FAFSA cycle included mixed-status families, or families with members of varying legal status, and poorly worded questions.

Another problem Valdez noted was the students鈥� procrastination. He said that about one in six have not even started to fill out their FAFSA despite his nudges and assurance of his help to get it done.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 know how easy it can be,鈥� said Valdez, who volunteered at the workshop. Under the best circumstances, applications can be completed in 30 minutes or less. 鈥淚f there is a problem, we can set up a one-on-one with them and their parents.鈥�

鈥榃e鈥檒l fix the problems鈥�

EPCC and UTEP echoed that suggestion. Officials asked students who need help with their FAFSA, especially to address challenges, to contact their institutions鈥� enrollment or financial aid offices.

鈥淲e鈥檒l work with the families with questions, and we鈥檒l fix the problems,鈥� said Ines Lopez, EPCC鈥檚 executive director Student Financial Aid.

UTEP and EPCC officials said that their institutions had accepted fewer FAFSA forms than normal for this time of year, but were confident that the numbers would recover before the start of the fall 2024 semester.

鈥淭he (high) schools have reached out to us because their (FAFSA) completion numbers are low,鈥� said Carlos Amaya, EPCC vice president of Student & Enrollment Services. 鈥淭hey wanted more FAFSA nights and we鈥檙e going to help them to beef up their numbers.鈥�

Additionally, UTEP plans to conduct application workshops for its continuing students the week of April 29.

Amanda Vasquez-Vicario, UTEP vice president for Enrollment Management, said the university had received about 19,000 FAFSA forms so far. At this time last year, they had 25,000.

Vasquez-Vicario said she is 鈥渃autiously optimistic鈥� in part because the institution has seen a slow but steady increase in the FAFSA forms from first-time college students.

The UTEP official said that her team tells students that there is no need to panic, but some, especially those from mixed-status families, are the most anxious. They wonder if they will get the necessary financial aid, she said.

Vasquez-Vicario said the enrollment staff assures students of the university鈥檚 commitment to help, and suggests alternative sources of financial aid such as UTEP鈥檚 Paydirt Promise program where most students from families with incomes of $80,000 or less could be eligible to attend UTEP and not have to pay tuition and mandatory fees.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

As Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and the school board met inside the downtown building, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and classroom assistants 鈥� arriving on buses from across the district 鈥� waved placards and chanted, 鈥渘o justice, no peace.鈥�

鈥淚 installed air filters to make sure students and staff would be able to breathe clean air in their classrooms while they were there working and studying,鈥� SEIU 99 President Conrado Guerrero said from the flatbed of a truck. 鈥淲e’ve gone from heroes to zeroes.鈥� 

The two sides have been bargaining since 2020, when the pandemic interrupted negotiations. The 30,000-member SEIU 99 says the district is offering no raise for the 2020-21 school year, a 5% raise for 2021-22 and a 4% increase for 2022-23. Amounting to about $1,000 additional per year for most workers, that鈥檚 insufficient, said Max Arias, the union鈥檚 executive director. 

鈥淭hese were the essential workers鈥� in the district, he said. A strike authorization vote would take place in January.

Arias wants minimum wages for members increased from $18.50 per hour to $24. The union鈥檚 demands also include more eight-hour days and paid training for bus drivers and those in other positions. 鈥淲e鈥檙e at an impasse,鈥� he said. 

In a statement, the district said, 鈥淟os Angeles Unified continues to engage in respectful negotiations with our labor partners. We are committed to compensating our employees fairly in this current economic environment, while also preserving our ability to provide services to our students in a sustainable manner that promotes lasting student achievement.鈥�

Talk of a strike is the latest conflict the district has faced with one of its labor unions. United Teachers Los Angeles opposed Carvalho鈥檚 original plan to spread four learning 鈥渁cceleration days鈥� for students throughout the school year. The district rescheduled them for winter and spring break, even though students are now less likely to participate because they鈥檙e on vacation. of the district鈥檚 more than 420,000 students have signed up for the first two days, Dec. 19-20, according to the district.

SEIU 99 wanted the district to stick to the original schedule because it would have provided members additional work. 

The teachers union isn鈥檛 close to a strike vote yet, but members are increasing pressure on the district. Earlier this month, they at multiple locations.

The union went on a in January 2019, with many of the it is making now, such as smaller class sizes, less standardized testing and more nurses, librarians and counselors. The union wants a 20% raise and argues that the district has over $3 billion in budget reserves to cover it.

But on Tuesday, teachers union members were on hand to support SEIU 99 members. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e been negotiating for seven months. They鈥檝e been negotiating for three years,鈥� said UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about solidarity.鈥�