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.
This school year has been a real challenge for me! I love what I do, but my work schedule was to say the least…extremely draining. I just haven’t been able to do…and keep up with everything like I want to.
Why is it easier to give others grace…but not so easy to give ourselves that same benefit. I want you to know that you matter! What you do matters! You are enough! You are needed in this space! Thank you for just being you!
Hope you are doing well and looking forward to a relaxing summer! 😊
Summer Leadership Academy registration is now open and the early bird cost is $45. This Early Bird rate will close on May 1st so I wanted to be sure to send this information out in advance. Here is the registration link. You may sign up multiple people at time to secure a spot. Please encourage your exec boards and local leaders to attend. Once the schedule is complete, you will receive an email to select sessions and submit your payment. SLA is held July 28-31 at Illinois State University.
The 2025 SLA agenda has not yet been created/finalized, however, I have attached LAST YEAR’s agenda so you can get a feel for what sessions may be provided this year. SLA usually starts the first day with new BOD training and stakeholder summit, followed by a series of training sessions over the next two days.
I hope this finds you well on this beautiful sunny day!!
Important Call To Action!! Please register for the upcoming Undo Tier 2 Week of Action. There is a We Are One Legislative Update webinar tomorrow, Monday at 6pm. – Here is the link to register –
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wwjkvgHGRSOkcEYl1uDfoQ?link_id=0&can_id=8d5cdedaa04d37e9a64c9d1c57a193e0#/registration
This is very important to bring a push to Undo Tier 2!! Time is of the essence for this legislative session to push this over the finish line.
What is Undo Tier 2 and why is it important we fight to undo the inequitable retirement requirements? Click to learn more – https://ieanea.org/undo-tier-two/
Tonight 33 amazing education support professional leaders, certified allies, and IEA staff collaborated on ways to improve how we advocate and support ESPs around the state. It is important to review our progress regularly so effective adjustments can be made and targets can be hit.
Topics discussed:
Please join us at our next rESPect Steering meeting on May 8th from 5:30-7:00.
We could see a vote from state senators this week on SB1799. Take action for ESPs TODAY! Write your state senators and ask them to VOTE YES on SB 1799 to protect Education Support Professionals from third-party contracting. Senate Bill 1799 will Increase the accountability of third-party contractors, Reduce wasteful spending, and Ensure school districts are hiring district employees for long-term services.
1100 Delegates from across the state came together to discuss, debate, and direct the next year of our Illinois Education Association. We had several guest speakers who attended. One of the extremely important goals of our union is to ensure that every student has a high quality public education and as you can imagine that was an important topic of discussion.
NEA will be hosting a series of virtual town hall meetings for food service members across the country, starting on Thursday, March 6, 2025., at 5:30pm EDT, 4:30pm CST, 3:30 MST, and 2:30pm PST. We invite all members and staff who care about our students to join in this important conversation! Please view this flyer for more information, including how to register for the town hall.
Contact IEA Connect to update your email. IEA Connect can help with a WIDE variety of questions and issues you may have.
Click here for past ESP Insider Newsletters (member login is required)
Thank you to locals DUEA (Distruct U-46 Educational Assistance) and DUSA (District U-46 Secretarial Association) located in Elgin for inviting Debra Ward Mitchell and myself to come present at your locals professional development day on Friday February 28th. We started our morning at Bartlett High School for Parapalooza and a great keynote speaker who spoke on the connection between the mind and the ability for relationships and learning….so relevant for staff self reflection and interpersonal relationships with students and colleagues. Also, a huge shoutout to IEA President Al Lorens who spoke and presented. DUEA, thank you for allowing us to spend the morning with you all!
After our morning, Deb and I traveled to the U-46 District Welcome Center for an amazing afternoon of professional development with DUSA. Thank you for allowing us to share about the rESPect Campaign, how the Illinois Education Association is advocating for members, and how their voice and talents are essential to grow our organization to advocate and make the changes we need. We are Stronger United!
It is always a productive and heart filling time to spend it with my union brothers and sisters! This is definitely an interesting time…we have to organize to protect our students, families, and public education as a whole!!
IEA ESP Council members bringing their advocacy and voice to IEA.
IEA Education Support Professional Council 