Category: Education Support Professionals

The 510,000 Educational Support Professional members of the National Education Association and the 29,500 ESP members of the Illinois Education Association take care of our children every day and make sure they have the tools they need to succeed in our schools and classrooms. We are truly the unsung heroes of public education.

Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

What does RESPECT look like?

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You’re invited to attend our next RESPECT virtual meeting

register: April virtual meeting

Support staff are typically the first to arrive at school as they unlock doors and turn on lights. They are some of the first people to greet students when they arrive at school in the morning, who give students the academic support they need to become successful scholars, who carefully assist with their health, safety, and nutritional needs, and are the last people who see students safely home at the end of the day. The value of their work is priceless.

So it’s time we start treating them that way!

Join the respect campaign
resolution of support
More resources
Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association, Uncategorized

Join our virtual rESPect meeting tomorrow

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Join Us Jan. 11
5:30 – 7 p.m.

rESPect Virtual Meeting
All ESPs Welcome!

REGISTER NOW

(You will receive the Zoom link by email)

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: wages, health insurance, pensions, and retaining, recruiting, and job duties.
Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

Education Support Professional News

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Scholarship opportunity for high school seniors with a parent/legal guardian who works in education!​​​

The Burroughs Education Scholarship will offer $2,500 to a graduating senior with strong academic achievement, career goals and character. Application deadline is Jan. 31.

2024 NEA ESP Conference, March 22-24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas!

  • Registration opens mid-January.
  • Learn more on the NEA ESP Conference webpage.
  • If registered by Jan. 29: $225
  • If registered after Jan. 29: $275

IEA-NEA spring elections

  • Nominations are open for the 2024 NEA RA State, Retired and Aspiring Educator Delegate elections as well as for sectional representative positions on the IEA Board of Directors and the ESP, Higher Ed and Retired Councils. Hard copy nominations were sent to every member the first week in January and a link to online nominations is on the IEA website.
  • Online nominations close at 4 p.m. on Feb. 14. Hard copy nominations must also be received by this date. If you have any questions, contact IEA Governance Elections/Fair Share Paraprofessional Kim Trader at kim.trader@ieanea.org.
Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

2024 Spring IEA Elections Nominations Are Now Open

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The IEA is accepting nominations for open positions on the ESP Council and other state level positions. If you’re ready to work to bring the changes we need, apply today.

The 2024 spring elections for NEA RA state, ESP, and aspiring educator delegates, and other state level positions opened today at 8 a.m.   Nominations close at 4 p.m. on February 14th.  The link to the online nomination form is on the elections page of the website.  This information is also located on the home page as well.   Also included with the online nomination form information is a link to the spring all-member governance mailer that includes the same nomination forms found online as well as the election notice for the region NEA RA delegate elections.  Also included here is a link to the eligibility information for the retired, ESP, higher education and ethnic minority state level positions to be elected this spring.

Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association, Uncategorized

I hope you all have a safe, healthy, and blessed holiday break!

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What activity are looking forward to most to recharge during this holiday break?

Please take the time to rest and recharge! Education support professionals are so important in the education of our students and operation of our schools and universities. Self care is extremely for everyone to be at their best.

Join rESPect today.

Visit www.iearespect.org to learn more and join.

Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

Advocating for rESPect

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On Monday, Gina Lozano, chair of the rESPect Legislative Team, myself, Jill Scarcelli, chair of the rESPect Campaign, along with Derek Stevens, IEA Government Relations met with Illinois Senator Robert Peters, chair of the Labor Committee to advocate for our members and rESPect. Gina and myself spoke to educate and inform of who education support professionals (ESPs) are, what we do, and how we are essential for student success. We spoke specifically about UI: Unemployment Insurance and raising the minimum wage for education support professionals.

Senator Robert Peters was very receptive and spoke of his own personal story of being in special education as a young child and how education support professionals supported his education. He spoke honestly and said UI will be a huge challenge. There are several public labor committee hurdles that must be overcome before a vote could be taken. We knew this would be a marathon and not a sprint and we are committed to achieving this goal. Senator Peters also spoke regarding raising the minimum wage and gave us suggestions on how to better move this bill forward.

We truly appreciate Senator Robert Peters for taking the time to meet with us and give guidance as we advocate to support ALL of our members.

Education Support Professionals

Great Webinar Opportunities

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FYI from:   National Education Association-ESPQ

As we head into the holiday season and closer to a new year, we want to share several upcoming opportunities that will support ESPs in their personal and professional growth. Please add these events to your calendars and share them with your members and colleagues!  

  • ESP Community Conversations: Self-care for ESPs (NEXT WEEK!) 
    Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET 
    Self-care is important now more than ever. Join us for a virtual networking session centered around self-care. ESPs who join the conversation will have an opportunity to share self-care tips, learn from one another, and engage in activities to guide them in their self-care practice. Register now > 
     
  • ESP Mentoring in Oregon 
    Thursday, December 7, 2023, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET  
    Learn how to take an established ESP mentoring program and make it your own, suiting the unique needs within your district. Educators from two locals will share their successes and the roadblocks they encountered in building two successful ESP mentoring programs thriving in Oregon and how you can do the same within your state. Register now > 
     
  • ESP Rights and Respect Series: How to Build a Strategic Campaign 
    Thursday, December 14, 2023 (Webinar en Español), 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET 
    Join us for this webinar, offered in Spanish, to learn how NEA members, staff, and leaders have partnered to build a strategic campaign to increase ESP visibility, rights, and respect. Note: This webinar series is only open to NEA members, staff, and leaders. See the attached flyer and share it with your Spanish-speaking members and colleagues. Register now > 
     
  • NASP PREPaRE Workshop I: School Safety and Crisis Preparedness  
    Saturday, January 20, 2024, 10:00 a.m. –  6:00 p.m. ET 
    Are you interested in learning about school safety and crisis preparedness? No matter your role in our schools, it is important to understand how schools prepare, mitigate, and respond to a crisis. Join us for Workshop I of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) PREPaRE curriculum to learn more about how a comprehensive school crisis team functions and how to organize one. Each participant will receive a certificate of completion. All fees for the course and course materials will be covered by NEA. ***Space is limited, register today!  Register now > 
     
  • Strengthening Family and Community Engagement for ESPs 
    Thursday, January 25, 2024, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET 
    Through NEA’s Community Schools initiative, ESPs across the country are participating in powerful family and community engagement efforts, which help students and support positive worksites. Join us to hear from ESPs and Community Schools coordinators across the country discuss lessons learned and promising practices on family and community engagement, and how these insights can empower ESPs. Register now > 

See all upcoming webinars for ESPs at www.nea.org/esppdwebinars. 

Education Support Professionals, Illinois Education Association

School Finance for Bargainers

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Sat.  |  Dec. 9  |  10 a.m. – noon
School Finance for Bargainers

Join IEA Research to review key school finance concepts for the upcoming bargaining season. The training will explore three core areas:

  • Discuss compensation systems, including salary schedules and salary tables, and the impact of the increased minimum wage/increased minimum certified staff salary
  • Review key school finance terms that will come up at the bargaining table
  • Highlight school finance issues related to bargaining in spring 2024, including property tax revenue, state funding and federal ESSER funding

The session will also provide an overview of school finance bargaining resources available through IEA Research to assist teams in their negotiations this spring.

Click to register