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Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

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Paraprofessionals and their supporters rallied at City Hall rally ahead of vote on a measure to give school paraprofessionals a $10,000 supplemental payment, July 16, 2026. (Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit)

Dear New Yorkers,

The Mamdani administration is suing the New York City Council to block a new law authorizing one-time $10,000 payments for city paraprofessionals, arguing it both violates a state law that restricts public-sector wage increases to collective bargaining and could set an expensive precedent.

The lawsuit comes after a veto-proof Council bill lapsed into law Wednesday without Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s signature, as our friends at Chalkbeat report. The suit alleges the legislation exceeded the Council’s authority and “set a perilous and unlawful precedent with huge fiscal consequences for the [Department of Education] and the city — and, by extension, the tax-paying public.”

The Council quickly fired back, with Speaker Julie Menin and Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, who introduced the bill, saying the legislature “will vigorously defend the law.

“This law is not only the right thing to do, it is also the fiscally responsible thing to do, helping address the staffing shortages that contribute to the city’s $1.5 billion in Carter case costs,” they said in a statement, referring to legal complaints against the city seeking reimbursement for private special-education tuition. Paraprofessionals are teacher aides who work with students with disabilities and special needs.

Mamdani has said the bill is “in direct violation of the Taylor Law,” a nearly 60-year-old state law covering most public employees in New York and giving them the right to organize and bargain for better wages and benefits. The United Federation of Teachers union, which supports the measure, contends it was carefully worded not to run afoul of that law.

Read more about the legal battle over paraprofessional pay.

Weather ☔

A high around 80 during the daytime. A low near 67 at night. Showers and possible thunderstorms throughout the day.

MTA 🚇

Midday in Brooklyn, no B trains run between Kings Highway and Brighton Beach; take the Q instead. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.

Alternate-side parking 🚙

It’s in effect today, Aug. 20.

By the way…

You can volunteer as a city park steward to care for the more than 6,800 acres of forests in New York City.

Our Other Top Stories

The city needs to build 700,000 new housing units over the next decade, which will require ambitious construction projects, especially in low-density neighborhoods, City Hall officials say in a new report. The MTA’s plan to convert to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040 has hit enough roadblocks that the target date is “in jeopardy” of not being met, a new audit from the state comptroller finds. New work requirements for Medicaid enrollees will hit neighborhoods in The Bronx, northern Manhattan and Queens particularly hard, our friends at Healthbeat report.

THE KICKER: The city’s “Trash Revolution” could one day involve top-loading collection trucks with cranes for curbside bins.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Thursday.

Love,

The City Reporter

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