WHAT is the Teacher’s Assistant (TA) Fund?

The Teacher’s Assistant Fund is dedicated to funding teaching aides for K – 5thgrades. TAs assist the head teachers in all aspects of our children’s day inside and outside of the classroom. TAs prepare learning materials, assist teachers with classroom management, work with small groups of students and assist with arrival/dismissal.  We assign one TA per grade so he/she can really get to know our children.  A skilled TA enables more focus on academics and teaching, more tailored group learning, as well as more individualized  attention, thereby giving our children the best possible education.     

WHAT is the difference between the TA Fund and the Annual Fund? Why are separate contributions needed for each fund?

• TA Fund donations go only to the salaries of the Teacher’s Assistant for your child’s grade.

• Annual Fund donations go directly to supporting all of PS33’s enrichment programs. It is a critical financial  supplement in order to keep our programs in athletics, music, science/STEM, dance, chess and the arts. 

In other words, the money collected in each Fund is used for very different, but equally important, services.  

WHY are parent contributions needed for Teacher’s Assistants?

The NYC Department of Education only pays for one teacher per classroom, and 2 teachers per CTT classroom. The Dept of Education does not pay for Teacher’s Assistants.   Parent contributions are the only funds that can be used to hire these TAs.  

If we do not raise sufficient funds, we cannot have TAs continue in the classroom.  Our GOAL is to fund one TA per grade.  Any remaining funds will be put toward a shared 2nd TA with another grade and/or rolled over to your child’s TA Fund next year.  The money follows our kids throughout their years at PS 33!

HOW MUCH does it cost to have a Teacher’s Assistant? 

The approximate cost of a full time Teacher’s Assistant for a school year is $28,000 - $30,000.