The Latest from VEA

It’s an injustice that’s gone on for years: In all 50 states, education support professionals (ESPs) in our public schools earn, on average, less than a living wage. Yet we can’t run our schools without them.

Let’s become part of a national movement of educators and public school supporters to change this. To jumpstart such a movement, NEA members have created an ESP Bill of Rights, laying out a framework of progress toward justice for ESPs. Here’s what it says:

All education support professionals want and deserve:

• Fair Compensation. One job should be enough! ESPs should not have to work multiple jobs to maintain financial independence.
• Recognition and Respect. ESPs play a vital role on the education team and in students’ lives inside and outside the classroom. They keep our schools running and our students safe, healthy, and ready to learn every day. They deserve to be respected and recognized as accomplished professionals.
• Safe and Healthy Work Environment. ESPs deserve a safe and healthy workplace that is free of violence, including physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, and free of exposure to hazardous materials. ESPs deserve clear safety protocols, appropriate supplies, safely maintained equipment, training on workplace regulations, and whistleblower protections.
• Affordable Healthcare. ESPs should have access to affordable health insurance.
• Paid Leave. ESPs deserve paid leave, including personal days, sick days, parental/caregiver leave, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits.
• Professional Learning and Career Advancement. ESPs deserve high-quality, job-related professional learning and accessible opportunities for career advancement. Seniority rights must be protected when ESPs pursue promotions and request transfers, and at times of layoffs or furlough.
• Workload and Staffing. ESPs have the right to a workload that allows them to excel in their assigned positions. ESPs deserve a voice in establishing fully staffed shifts, clear work protocols, and resources that support their careers.
• ESPs have the right to a secure retirement. All their years of service should count toward a pension.
• Protection from Privatization. ESPs should be free of the threats of privatization that risk the stability of school communities, silence the voice of employees, and further undermine the value of the services they provide in their jobs.
• Right to Bargain. ESPs deserve a strong voice in their workplace that includes the right to join their union and advocate for the rights and protections they deserve. Bargaining and advocacy ensure they enhance student learning and improve educator working conditions–benefiting students, schools, and the community as a whole.

You can pledge your support and get information on how you might get an advocacy campaign for ESPs in your school division and in our state at nea.org/nea-esp-bill-rights. Get on board. Let’s work together to get ESPs the dignity and the salaries they earn every day!