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Thank you to all of the fabulous educators who inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.

According to a 2021 National Education Association survey of its members, education support professionals (ESPs):

That’s why we launched the IEA rESPect campaign. Go to iearespect.org to join and to help bring rESPEct to education support professionals.

https://www.nea.org/…/new-from-nea/struggle-living-wage…

How a school bus driver in Skokie has brought joy to his community for decades

When 5-year-old twins Fionnuala and Ceilidh Climer get on the bus to school each day, they are greeted by a familiar voice.

“Hello number one princess, hello number two princess!” driver Alvin Carter calls out.

Carter, referred to fondly as Mr. Alvin by the twins, is a driver and custodian at the girls’ school in Skokie, Ill. Other times he greets them with, “Good morning, sunshine!” or a joke.

Thank you Carterville area members and IEA Office for hosting our IEA Education Support Professional Council meeting this past Saturday. We truly enjoyed traveling and spending time in your area. Thank you to the guests who joined our meeting both in person and virtually. We are honored to represent ALL education support professionals from all across Illinois.

As the 2022 NEA RA gets underway, Illinois will be assisting with providing volunteers to support the event. Volunteers for the event cannot be delegates to the NEA RA. NEA will be providing reimbursement for specific positions.

We will be seeking volunteers for the following areas: Registration and Information Booth, Ushers and Special Event Support, Physically Challenged Support Team, Microphone Monitors, Treasurer Team, NEA Fund for Children and Public Information (PAC) Team.

Please consider volunteering your time to help make this a successful event for NEA, IEA, and all of our members. Some of these positions do not require you to commit to every day.

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 us for our April ESP Learning Network webinar!

Introduction to Grievance Processing
Thursday, April 28, 2022
7:00-8:30 p.m. ET. 6:00-7:30 p.m. CT

This webinar is designed to help stewards, grievance committee members, and leaders understand how the grievance process works and how to make it more effective. We will discuss how to investigate potential grievances, how to work with members and management in meetings, how to write grievances, how to present a case, and how to advance the grievance through your contractual process, all with an emphasis on protecting the rights of your members. We will also provide information on ensuring the union has met its duty of fair representation and review Weingarten Rights and the role of union advocates in potential disciplinary meetings. This session was offered at the 2022 ESP National Conference.

To fully participate in this session, we strongly recommend that you have a copy of your union contract on hand.

Register today

Jennie Young

Don’t miss this great opportunity!

The National Education Association recognizes the vital role Education Support Professionals (ESPs) play in ensuring a great public school for every student. That’s why, through this blended learning course, we’re working with members and affiliates to build and support ESP peer mentoring programs. Through peer mentoring, ESPs can receive the specialized, targeted workplace preparation and support that empower ESPs in the workplace, advance their professional excellence, and build the education systems that all our students and members deserve.

To date, NEA has worked with nearly 50 teams to develop ESP peer mentoring programs, many of whom have gone on to build their unique programs. While each program’s design, scale, and scope varies by local context, they all have become powerful catalysts for creating opportunities that have been transformative for both ESPs and the Association. Through these programs, deeper, less transactional relationships have been developed with ESP members and more collaborative and connective partnerships have been built with school districts and universities.

Learn more about the mentoring journey of two of our previous mentoring course participants:

• Livingston Education Association (NJ)
• Lebanon Education Support Professional Association (OR)

2022 ESPs: Supporting Our Own Through Peer Mentoring Blended Learning Course

• The course begins June 16 and ends August 11, 2022.
• The course is facilitated by ESP leaders who have developed and coordinated ESP mentoring programs.
• The course can be taken as an individual or a team (organized around a local or state association). 

While we allow individual participation, we still highly encourage learners to participate in teams. Small teams of 3-4 learners will maximize the course experience. Teams offer the unique knowledge, skills, experiences, and resources needed for building an ESP mentoring program that individuals on their own often cannot.  We also highly encourage the inclusion of state staff and employer representatives in your teams.

• The course will be offered through NEA’s learning management system (NEAe3) and is organized around four learning modules in these formats:

• Self-study: Individual work completed by each learner at their own pace. 
• Webinars: Large group learning with all participants in the course.

Please share this new learning opportunity with local leaders and staff interested in advancing ESP professional excellence through peer mentoring!

Applications are now being accepted. All applications must be submitted by May 11, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.

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Highlights from the Illinois Edcuation Representative Assembly:

It was so nice seeing people together again sharing their voice and representing their members. I’m always amazed at how efficient and smoothly the democratic process works within the Illinois Education Association.

I had the honor to speak to the entire IEA delegation and introduce the rESPect campaign to delegates from all across the state. Visit rESPect website to join, then share the information with your members, neighbors, and community!

Sean Denney gave a legislative update of several bill wins. Several IEA bylaw amendments, a resolution, and new business item were voted on.

I also had the privilege to introduce the 2021 and 2022 IEA ESPs of The Year at the Honoree Reseption on Friday night. See phot gallery for pictures.

I would encourage any member to run to be a delegate and attend the RA. This summer the National Education Association will be hosted in Chicago. As the host state, we will need hundreds of volunteers to help this run smoothly. Elections have passed for NEA delegates, but please consider volunteering. More information to come.