Education Support Professional Council consists of thirteen (13) members all of whom are ESP school employees and members of the Illinois Education Association. The ESP council's goal is to represent and support ESP's throughout Illinois.
Please support the members of the Tuscola Paraprofessionals Union (TESPA)!
Tuscola School District 301 has lost more than 40% of its paraprofessionals to neighboring districts and businesses like McDonalds, Loves and Old Navy that pay more.
TESPA represents paraprofessionals or paras, who work with the most vulnerable students (those with IEPs, behavioral challenges and autism).
TESPA and the Tuscola BOE’s latest contract proposals are just 14 CENTS an hour apart.
Fair contract NOW!
Join the IEA President Support Team on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group where local leaders can ask questions, get answers and support from other IEA leaders from around the state. They also meet virtually as an added time to support each other. Search them on Facebook.
Request for funding applications are being accepted for the following conferences. IMPORTANT: Please remember that IEA region councils have funding available for education support professionals to attend IEA conferences and events. Not sure where your region council is, call your nearest Illinois Education Association office. https://ieanea.org/contact-us/offices/
Budget Open Hearings: Schedule for January 2023
NEA RA – July 2-6, 2023 – Orlando, FL
The 2023 NEA RA will be held in Orlando from July 2-6. Illinois will be housed at the Rosen Centre with more details to follow.
2023 Summer Leadership RFP- Due December 9, 2022
The 2023 Summer Leadership Retreat will be held July 24-27, 2023 at Illinois State University Bone Student Center in Normal, IL. We are looking for presenters who can deliver training sessions in the areas of bargaining, grievance, organizing, equity, political action and leadership development to assist our members in the upcoming school year. Please consider submitting sessions which will help our local leaders renew their hope for a return to some normalcy and offer experiences that help restore their power.
Sessions at ISU will include 1- or 2-hour electives held on Tuesday & Wednesday. Half day sessions will be held on Wednesday & Thursday and can be combined for a full-day session.
Anyone interested in submitting for a session should complete the Summer Leadership RFP by December 9, 2022.
IEA Awards nomination deadline is Dec. 15.
Online nomination forms can be found on the IEA website under Members/Benefits/Awards:
No one has advocated for IEA members especially education support professionals better and deserves this more than Debra Ward-Mitchell. Deb Ward-Mitchell, former Thornridge High School, District 205 graduate out of Region 27. Deb was honored yesterday on the floor of the General Assembly. Deb is the 2022 NEA ESP of the Year. Another Thornridge graduate State Representative Will Davis read a resolution from the State of Illinois honoring her. This is a prestigious occasion! Congratulations Debra Ward Mitchell, thank you for all you do!
LOL, today is also national Mason Jar day…but I figure this might be a little more relatable. We celebrate National Personal Space Day on November 30 to honor and respect the need for personal space. Established by Public Health Specialist Carol Winner in 2019, the day reminds us that boundaries are good and must be maintained in a civil society. Advocating for our boundaries is not easy, but it is an important factor that contributes to our healing.
Webinar Now Available on the IMRF Website to Watch Whenever it’s Convenient for You! IMRF’s Pre-Retirement Workshop webinar is for IMRF members who are within five years of retirement. It will address the steps you must take before and during the IMRF retirement application process.The Pre-Retirement Workshop webinar is now offered online, on-demand on the IMRF website. You can view this recently recorded webinar at any time, when it is convenient for you. To watch thePre-Retirement Workshop webinar, click here. |
I am extremely honord to be asked to present at the Year-Round Organizing Campaign Convening. Tomorrow I will be presenting on the amazing things that are happening in Illinois and the RESPECT Campaign.
This award is meant to emphasize the contributions of education support professionals to their association, their schools and their communities.
Deadline: Dec. 15, 2022.
ESP STARS Award (Nominated by any member)
The ESP Council created the ESP STAR program to allow IEA local leaders, members and board of directors to recognize and publicize the good work of their ESP members across the state. Use the online nomination form to nominate a special ESP. Nominations can be submitted monthly
An individual IEA-NEA member or an IEA-NEA group may be nominated for this award, which recognizes those who have performed an outstanding humanitarian/civil rights activity or community service above and beyond normal association endeavors.
Deadline: Dec. 15, 2022.
We hope you feel appreciated today and know that what you do matters! You are phenomenal, needed, and essential and you deserve RESPECT!! www.iearespect.org
RESPECT | Raising Education Support Professionals by Elevating Careers Together is a statewide effort by ESPs, with the support of IEA staff, to improve working conditions by focusing on four areas:
RESPECT | Raising Education Support Professionals by Elevating Careers Together
is a statewide effort by support staff in Illinois schools, Pre-K through college, with the
support of IEA staff, to improve working conditions. This is a long-term campaign made
up of short-term goals. In 2022-23, we hope to:
May we all remember that freedom isn’t free!
| Check out the ESP collection for rESPect apparel and the new Red for Ed collection for short and long-sleeved T-shirts and more at ShopIEA.org. Remember: On Wednesdays wear Red for Ed! |
Network with ESPs – and make community connections – November 15, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. cst. Join us for the first-ever ESP Community Conversation, a one-hour virtual networking session that will connect you with fellow ESP members to discuss the challenges and successes you have experienced while bargaining and advocating for your students and for your professions. Registration will close on 11/11 or when the attendee count reaches 70 people.
Register Now ><https://secure.ngpvan.com/dxsbVq7efkStt4Qic6Z56w2?utm_source=edpractice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20221026edpractice&ms=edpractice>
Your voice is extremely important to help move our union forward. Deadlines are quickly approaching to submit your nomination form to attend as a delegate! For more information contact your building representative or local’s president.
If you would like more information about the RA or to attend as a RA Assistant click the link below.
Voting for public education means voting for candidates who will support our students, our public schools and our union.
Happy November! This month, our team at NEA is offering several exciting opportunities for ESPs to connect with one another, engage in professional learning, and share stories! Sign up for these opportunities below and spread the word to your colleagues and members.
We look forward to your participation in these upcoming opportunities!
I hope you have a SPOOKTACULAR day!
This past Friday evening and Saturday I had the privilege to travel to Springfield, Illinois to attend the October Illinois Education Association Board of Director’s meeting. A lot of great work was done. It’s always important to hear what our members are experiencing around the state and advocate for the support they need. We also had a very special guest stop by.
Don’t forget to vote! November 8th is election day. Make a plan…and plan to vote. Here is a link to IEA’s Voter Guide for pro-public education candidates.
The Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the University of Illinois Springfield invites you to participate in the Illinois Educator Well-Being Survey. The purpose of this survey is to examine how the climate and culture of your workplace impacts the quality of your life.
When considering how to improve the climate and culture of a school district, it is important to consider the impact of school climate and culture on educators who work both in and out of the classroom. This includes teachers, education support professionals, and other professional staff such as counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses.
IEA will use the results of this survey to support educator’s well-being in the workplace through improved programs and services.
This survey is voluntary and will take approximately ten minutes to complete. Data collected as part of this survey will remain confidential, see the informed consent document for additional information. Please use the below link to access the survey:
Take the Illinois Educator Well-Being Survey
The survey will close on December 1, 2022.
This spooky season, get rid of the biggest scare in your life – student loans! The deadline for public service loan forgiveness is fast approaching, but NEA can help!
Come join us this Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00pm for a virtual discussion on Unemployment Insurance for education support professionals.
Support staff can’t have unemployment, so often times pay is stretched over the summer. We want to change that. Click the link to register to attend this important discussion. https://mobilize.us/s/9Bz3IC/r
Equitable Discipline and the Role of an ESP
Thursday, October 20, 2022, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET (EASTERN)
This webinar is rooted in relational equity and culturally responsive social-emotional learning. Join us to learn about the important connection between authentic relationships with students, families, and staff members and their impact on student success, resiliency, and hope. You will also explore how personal bias impacts disciplinary decisions and actions. Register Now
At tonight’s RESPECT Campaign meeting in between reports of the progress we are making to reach our goals to advocate for members we heard from several amazing education support professionals who shared their story. They told of struggles that are far too common among education support staff. The worry they face every month when they struggle to pay bills and afford food because their paychecks just don’t represent the value they bring to their students, schools, and districts. They spoke of their concerns of high health insurance costs and being effective in their buildings because they are being stretched too thin due to staffing shortages.
It is time for RESPECT! Go to www.iearespect.org and join today! We have got to build this campaign into a movement! We have got to bring the change we need and our members deserve. Invite your colleagues, friends, and neighbors.
The purpose of the NEA ESP National conference to grow and strengthen the professional excellence of ESP members working in Pre-K to Higher-Ed through Association-convened, educator-led, and student-centered learning experiences. With multiple interactive workshops to choose from over the course of three days, participants enhance their knowledge and skills to advocate for students and educators, champion racial and social justice, build community relationships, strengthen and grow membership, and sustain stronger local associations, helping members excel in their careers and positively impact student success.
Theme: Joy, Justice, Excellence: The Strength of Educators. The Brilliance of Students. The Power of Community.
March 24-26, 2023
Seattle, WA
Interested in presenting a session at the ESP Conference?
Our call for presenters period is now open! The deadline to submit a session proposal to be considered for the conference is Friday, October 28, 2022.
Join IEA Government Relations for a monthly training series on how to prepare your local for school board elections in 2023. Click to register for this virtual event.
https://www.mobilize.us/ieanea/event/440798/
EMELT – Nov. 4-6, 2022
Reach out to your local and IEA Region office for funding to attend. Each region has funding for members to attend IEA Conferences.
Crowne Plaza Springfield – Springfield, IL
Registration for the IEA Ethnic Minority Emerging Leadership Training is now open! This series of workshops is geared to helping ethnic minority and emerging leaders in our state understand IEA structure, the resources at your disposal, the skills you need to increase association involvement, and assist you in developing a personal plan of action for long-term development and participation in the association. You will also refine your organizational skills, develop your problem-solving abilities, broaden your knowledge of education issues, and develop strategies that benefit your local organizations, schools, and communities. For more information regarding the conference, visit the website – EMELT Conference.
Registration ends October 28, 2022 at 5:00 pm! Housing block closes on October 18. IEA EMELT HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Register today – EMELT Registration!
Even while the conference was happening we’ve been thinking on ways to improve it for next time. Looking forward to reviewing the conference surveys to get participants suggestions!
September 30 – October 1
DoubleTree By Hilton Hotel Chicago-Oak Brook
Oak Brook, IL
Please join us for the 2022 One Conference for IEA Education Support Professionals, Higher Education, and IEA Retired members. The two-day event will offer a variety of elective sessions and feature keynote speaker, Mary Kusler, Senior Director, Center for Advocacy – National Education Association.
Access to COVID admin days remains so long as the Gubernational Disaster Proclamation remains in place. Each proclamation lasts 30 days and must be renewed to remain in effect. The proclamation was most recently renewed on September 16, 2022.
The ability to access admin days retroactively was limited to the 2021-22 school year.
It is our mission to bring change to members by focusing on three goals this year:
Click the link to learn more about how we are also advocating for affordable health insurance, equitable pensions, and more! Join us, we have BIG plans to bring you RESPECT and we need you to make it happen!
This month, the NEA ESP Learning network is excited to offer learning webinars for education support professionals, including a webinar on Thursday, September 15, that will be presented in Spanish.
ESPacios de Libertad (Freedom Spaces): Live Spanish Webinar Experience
Thursday, September 15, 2022, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
En conmemoración del Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana, reunimos a un grupo diverso de educadores para discutir las formas en que sus valores y normas han promovido la equidad, la justicia y la alegría en sus escuelas y universidades. No te lo pierdas. Pa’lante.
English Translation: In commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we bring together a diverse group of educational support professionals to discuss the ways their values and norms have advanced equity, justice, and joy in their schools and colleges. Don’t miss it. Pa’lante.
Register at: https://www.mobilize.us/nea_espq/event/497776/
In case you missed it: US Department of Labor inducted ESPs as essential employees of the pandemic into the Labor Hall of honor!
2020 NEA ESP of the Year, Andrea Beeman spoke at the induction ceremony. Learn more and watch the speech 
In recognition of their sacrifices and efforts to protect the health of all Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Labor (DOL) inducted Essential Workers of the Pandemic into the U.S. Labor Hall of Honor today. Those inducted include educators like Andrea Beeman, a special education paraeducator from Maple Heights, Ohio.
The U.S. DOL Hall of Honor recognizes the life-changing contributions that a unique group of people have made on the American way of work over the nation’s history, including the workers of 9/11, farm workers, Chinese rail workers, and sanitation workers.
Please plan to join us!
ESPs truly are the backbone of every school community. They play a critical role in the lives of our students and our schools. They are some of the most valuable people in a building and their value is so often overlooked when districts/universities are looking at their budgets. Join us to learn how you can help build a movement of rESPect. It’s time we start treating them that way!
It is time to EDUCATE!
Meeting ID: 361 562 2707
Passcode: 647586
As the new school year begins it is important to make sure you know your rights as a union member. If you feel you could be disciplined for any reason, please respectfully request union representation. It is your right to have a union representative with you. You can NOT be denied.
I hope you are able to take some time to relax and enjoy your long weekend!
One Conference: Please join us for the 2022 One Conference for IEA Education Support Professionals, Higher Education, and IEA Retired members. The two-day event will offer a variety of elective sessions and feature keynote speaker, Mary Kusler, Senior Director, Center for Advocacy – National Education Association.
Where: The DoubleTree by Hilton, 1909 Spring Rd., Oak Brook, IL 60523
Registration Fee: $20 per registrant prior to the event; $30 per registrant onsite
Housing: $119 per night + tax. Housing closes on Sept. 21 at noon. (Funding is available through IEA region offices)
Registration Deadline: Sept. 26 at noon
ESP – Southern/Central Section Alternate (Regions 1-14, 45, 47, 48 and 62) – as interim until election is held next spring for remainder of term to 2024. ESP – Northern/Central Section Alternate (Regions 15-25, 37, 38, 40, 44, 49, 51, 53, 54, 60, 61, 63, 65 and 66) – as interim until election is held next spring for remainder of term to 2025.
If you are a member who works in one of the above listed regions please consider running to fill this important open position.
Active IEA members wishing to be nominated must provide a written statement of interest by Tuesday, September 13, 2022. Please email statements to Denise Ward or mail to IEA President’s Office, 100 E. Edwards St., Springfield, IL 62704.
These positions are to be filled in accordance with applicable existing procedures for filling a vacancy. IEA-NEA Bylaws state:
…And New Year! I wish you a blessed week. New routines and new relationships are forming as we start a new school year. Thank you for all you do for students, staff, and schools!
Click to watch President Kathi Griffin https://www.facebook.com/ieanea/videos/1066909954023784
With the teacher & education employee shortage getting worse, we must do everything we can to make education an attractive profession. That means:
Competitive wages
Restoring and Protecting our pensions
Respecting the work ALL teachers and education employees do
The IEA ESP Council supports the Workers’ Rights Amendment!
Learn more about the WRA: www.ieawra.org
#IEAstronger #IEArESPect #IEAESPCOUNCIL
IEA Education Support Professional Council 