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.
Click the link to looking back on the four days of the 2022 Representative Assembly, where 6,000 educators gathered to shape the future of public education and our union. Check out RA in review: https://bit.ly/3bYbXoH
Just imagine around 6000 people in-person and virtual, debating new business items, legislative amendments, and resolutions submitted by members. It is amazing!!
It’s official, the 101st NEA RA, the nations largest representative assembly has begun in Chicago. It’s time to get busy and do the work of supporting our members by debating and voting on important topics that will determine the direction of our union over the next year.
I am preparing to travel to Chicago with about 8,000 of my closest union friends. The experience is indescribable!! We will discuss, debate, and vote on many items that will direct the corse of our union.
One extremely important item on the agenda is new more powerful language that adds the essential work of support staff in public education, prek-12 and higher ed, to the NEA Legislative Platform. Your Education Support Professional Council submitted this language and is excited to lobby for its approval.
RESPECT | Raising Education Support Professionals by Elevating Careers Together is a statewide effort by Education Support Professionals, with the support of IEA staff, to improve working conditions by focusing on five areas:
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 today so we can build our strength and raise our voice from a wisper to a roar.
You can still requesst funding from your IEA local and/or region chair. If you don’t know who your region chair is please contact a representative from your local and they can assist you. You can also contact your region office. Illinois Education Association regions each have money specifically budgeted for professional development specifially for support staff. Click here to find an Illinois Education Association office near you.
At a time of profound stress for the teaching profession, educators are finding relief by seeking professional support opportunities in personal self-care practices for themselves and for their students. Learn how to apply healing-centered, personal self-care practices that support you in your work with your students.
This Pride Month, learn from ESP members about the importance of pronouns and how to use them effectively in schools to ensure a supportive environment for everyone in the school community.
Register for our webinar 
I’ve had a few members contact me to see if education support professionals will be eligible for unemployment insurance this summer. Unfortunately, support staff will not be eligible to collect unemployment benefits this summer. The spring legislative session was extremely abbreviated, though IEA did push and advocate for it to be extended again, it was not picked up for renewal.
Are you frustrated about this? Then bring your voice and power to the table and join the rESPect Campaign! This is just one of the many issues and benefits the rESPect campaign is fighting for. This campaign is a new initiative lead by educational support professional members with the support of IEA staff to bring RESPECT to ALL of our ESP members. Please go to www.iearespect.org to learn more and join. We are in the organizing and growing stage and encourage you and ALL of your colleagues and neighbors to join the campaign.
We have BIG expectations for change! This will not be easy and most of our goals will take legislative action. That is why we need you, your colleagues, your neighbors, and all public education allies to join our movement! Share this on your social media and sign up to join today!!
IEA Education Support Professional Council 