
What an awesome rESPect steering meeting tonight!

IEA Education Support Professional Council
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.


Licensure renewal for all licenses due in 2023 will begin April 1st. This includes the Professional Educator License (PEL), the Educator License with Stipulations-Chief School Business Official (ELS-CSBO), the various Career and Technical Educator (CTE) licenses, the Substitute (SUB) license, and the Paraprofessional (PARA) license. EVERY licensed individual should verify through their Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) account if they hold a license that is only registered until June 30, 2023:
Educators with a PEL, ELS-CSBO and CTE license that expires July 1, 2023 will have until August 31, 2023 to complete any Professional Development (PD) required for renewal and pay all registration fees. If not renewed, the license will lapse on September 1, 2023 and the individual will no longer be eligible to work in an Illinois public school until the license is reinstated. To reinstate the license, the individual must complete 9 semester hours of coursework in the appropriate content area(s) or pay a $50 penalty fee in addition to submitting any required PD prior to reinstating. Once reinstated, individuals must also pay all back and current registration fees.
Documents to assist individuals with understanding the required PD for the various credentials, the instructions on how to enter PD into ELIS, and general renewal information can be found on the ROE under the Licensure tab. It is recommended that individuals periodically review the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) renewal page for updates. Please distribute this information within your district and contact the ROE with any questions.
1st – Log into your ELIS account
2nd – Click Renewals in the Action Center
3rd – Double check dates as described above and pay fee for renewal
Join the ESP council for a virtual roundtable discussion on April 3. New faces are always welcome!
Topic: What are the big takeaways from the IEA RA/RESPECT? Were you able to attend the Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly? Yes, awesome! Come share your thoughts. If you were not able to attend then this is the perfect opportunity to hear from those in attendance to get all of the important information you need.
Great things are happening here in Illinois for education support professionals. Come join the discussion.


A leadership training was held on Feb. 4 at the
Matteson IEA office. Pictured L to R: The new
LEFA Executive Board: Kate Chamberlain, president;
Janet Edwards, vice president; Lisa Robinzine,
secretary-treasurer.


| Saturday | April 1 | 10-11 a.m. Paper Cuts: Understanding Microaggressions in the Workplace Microaggressions can cause discord in the workplace and prevent ESPs from doing their personal best in schools with their students and colleagues. Participants will learn what they are, when they happen, how they contribute to creating toxic work cultures along with strategies to reduce their occurrence. We will have clear conversations about microaggressions to create deeper and meaningful collaboration among ESPs and their colleagues. Facilitator: Linda Matsumoto Linda is an ESP Council member, Ethnic Minority Representative and this year’s Reg Weaver Human and Civil Rights Award recipient. An educator in Region 41, Linda is also an Asian American advocate who presents AAPI history workshops at IEA and NEA conferences. |


Summer Leadership will be held July 24-27, 2023 in-person at Illinois State University at the Bone Student Center and the Alumni Center in Normal, IL.
FUNDING IS AVAILABLE-Apply for the scholarship on the registration website – or – request funding through your region.
2023 Summer Leadership
July 24-27, 2023 Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Application Deadline: June 16, 2023
Scholarship: $375.00
A wide-range of professional development sessions will be held on Tuesday afternoon, July 25 and Wednesday morning, July 26. Summer Leadership Retreats will be offered Wednesday, July 26 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday, July 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Organizing School will be held on Tuesday, July 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday, July 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. So please sign up for any number of sessions that meet your needs.
Register now at the discounted rate of $42.50. The rate will go up to $85.00 on May 1 and up to the full conference rate of $125.00 on July 1!

The ESP Council has their next Council meeting scheduled on Saturday, April 15 from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm in the Illinois Education Association Professional Development Center, 3440 Liberty Dr. Springfield, IL 62704 DIRECTIONS Stay for an hour or for the whole day.
All local education support professionals are invited! Lunch will be served at noon. Join us to learn more about your ESP Council and to bring your voice to the table as we advocate for education support members and bring rESPect.
Please RSVP by Monday, April 13 to arlene.criglar@ieanea.org to