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.
A special legislative update for our ESP members! HB 12, HR 77, HB 3474, HB 2643 and SB 8112 have all passed. Hear from IEA GR Director Sean Denney on what these bills mean for our ESPs.
*Edited for clarification-HB 2643 has passed both houses. The governor still has to sign it. As soon as I hear I will update this post.
HB 2643 is headed to the governors desk. Once this is signed it is effective immediately and can be retroactive. More information to come.
Benefit of membership
Join fellow IEA members this fall at one of four opportunities for professional development:
SCORE Grants!
The deadline to apply for the next round of SCORE Grant funding is July 15. Do you have a great idea on how to partner your students and your fellow association members with a community organization to do a project that makes a difference? Have you come up with a plan you think can help your school recover from the pandemic, but you’re not sure how to fund it? Or, has there always been a social justice issue you’ve wanted your school to tackle in the community? If so, the SCORE grant can help. The IEA’s Foundation has funded hundreds of member projects up to $1,000 over the past several years and yours could be next. To find out more about SCORE grants, to read about other projects to come up with ideas for your own, or to watch videos about past projects, check out the SCORE Grant page!
Was very fortunate today to share lunch with some of the IEA ESP Council members today. We are already planning and looking forward to meeting ESP’s throughout the state in person next year. Have a awesome summer
— eating lunch with MaryAnn Rivera, Gina Lazano, Cheryl Jones, Julie Spaargaren, Johnny Ramos, Kathy Jesuit, and Jill Scarcelli at Freddy’s Pizzeria.
Patricia Hendrix
Juneteenth – also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day – is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Wikipedia Observance Date: Saturday, June 19th 2021
A Case Study from Washington State. June 17, 7 p.m. EST. Info and Registration
Register today! 6 p.m. Central Time
Many education support professionals work during the summer. I wish you all summer blessings! Take time to be daring, to find an adventure, to experience life. This could be within the pages of a book, down the street, or around the world. You are amazing and need time to recharge and renew.
Summer Leadership Academy (Virtual – 2 weeks)
July 19-22, 2021
July 26-29, 2021
SLA registration is now open!
There are over 70 sessions planned for the 2-week conference (July 19-22 & July 26-29). Session offerings include trainings on equity, trauma responsiveness, restorative practices, communications, school finance, health insurance, organizing, and grievance to name a few. SLA will also contain additional sessions designed for local association presidents, association representatives, local treasurers, and those seeking a National Board Certification. Many sessions at SLA will also provide PD clock hours to attendees.
We will be limiting the number of attendees in each session to provide the best virtual training experience. In the event a session is full, we will have wait lists available & most sessions will be recorded and made available after SLA is over. Take a moment to review the Schedule At-A-Glance document for the session choices.
Register | Agenda | Schedule At-A Glance
Registration Deadline – July 9, 2021
Do you have local Associations that are seeking peer mentoring opportunities for ESPs?
If yes, they are now invited to apply to ESPs: Supporting Our Own Through Peer Mentoring.
ESPs: Supporting our Own Through Peer Mentoring is an NEA-offered online blended learning course, organized around 5 modules
of bi-weekly learning that include these formats:
Over 9+weeks, local Association team members will work together to develop an ESP mentoring program that will create
opportunities for continuous professional improvement for their members (responsive to their local context), amplify the voice of ESPs
in their workplace, and elevate ESPs as respected educators.
Course facilitators are ESP members and leaders who have built and established their own ESP mentoring programs.
For additional course information, including the course schedule and application form, visit: ESPs: Supporting Our Own Through Peer Mentoring
Need more information about ESP mentoring? Learn more at NEA ESP Peer Mentorship
If you are interested in the course but are not yet ready to start, please send an email to ESPMentoring@nea.org.
We will keep you informed of all future learning opportunities.
IN CLOSING, we want to share a few WHY statements from local Associations (previous course participants) that are currently developing or managing ESP mentoring programs. These statements tell us why they were inspired to do this work and the values that they lead with.
“To empower, educate and equip staff so that they are confident, prepared and supported while educating the whole child.” -Troy Education Association, Illinois
“To empower others so we can stand together. To help others find their voice so they know how to advocate for themselves and as a group.
To protect the rights of members. Planning for the future. Making a difference.”
-Michigan State University Administrative Professional Association, Michigan
“To create a sustainable and equitable peer mentoring system for all job families so that all PXU ESPs will be knowledgeable, proficient, supported and valued, creating a positive working and learning environment for ALL!” -Phoenix Union High School Classified Employees Association, Arizona
