Technical Services ESP — 
Building a Quality Workforce

The Technical Services Quality Workforce that exists in our public schools does not happen by accident. It is a direct result of the skill, dedication, and competence of the Education Support Professionals who are part of the dynamic school-community environment. A quality workforce comes together when Technical Services ESP are recognized to be part of, and deliberately included in, the school district strategic mission to enhance student achievement.

The building blocks of a Technical Services ESP Quality Workforce are fair and equitable terms and conditions of employment, including job security and a living wage, results-oriented job descriptions, new employee orientation programs,  ongoing in-service training programs, relevant and current skill set training, and career-enhancing professional development programs.

This booklet highlights some of the challenges Technical Services ESP face daily as they endeavor to build a Technical Services ESP Quality Workforce.

Our Job Descriptions -- Who We Really Are and What We Really Do

"We have a big job ahead of us, but not an impossible one. Often what is misunderstood by administrations in our schools is that it is not just about Every Child Will Have a Laptop. Wiring our public schools and getting them rolling on the Information Highway is about world class sophistication. It is about Exploration. It is about giving students the tools to Conquer the Last Frontier." -- Albert Gore, Vice President of the United States, the Los Angeles Times, January 12, 1998

Our Job Descriptions

Technical Services ESP provide technical support services at a variety of locations throughout a school district. They are in central offices, administrative centers, maintenance facilities, transportation centers and offices, audio-visual and language departments, distance education and media centers, art departments, writing and word processing centers, supply and storage facilities, food service areas and offices, and security and medical offices.

The following are some of the wide variety of technical services job titles: Computer Operator and Programmer, including District Technology Coordinator, Computer Training Specialist, Student Technology Learning Programmer, Data Base Manager, and Program Analyst; Media and Public Relations Specialist, Writer, Editor, and Printer; Layout Designer, Photographer, and Graphic Artist; Audio-Visual Specialist and Technician; Language and Science Technician; Mechanical and Electrical Technician; and Non-managerial Supervisor.

According to the most recent NEA ESP Survey, almost all are 12- month employees. Up to 41% work in central offices or administrative centers. With the increase in school security, as many as 57% report that they have job responsibilities that involve promoting school safety. Approximately 30% report that they work with special education students on a regular basis.

A very high percentage of Technical Services ESP — 81% — have attended college, with 30% reporting that they have Associates Degrees. As many as 14% report having Bachelor's or advanced degrees. Sixty-two percent report having completed trade, technical, or vocational training of some kind, and continue to do so on a regular basis in order to maintain their qualifications. Specific certifications are reported to be necessary for 86% of Technical Services ESP who have fulfilled certain certifications or college coursework.

A typical day for Technical Support ESP begins early and moves quickly. Due to the nature of their work, they are "wired" from the second they begin, regardless of their physical location. Much of what they do requires extensive prioritizing before the actual task begins. They are often put in situations with overlapping jurisdictions and departments. The juggling act they must perform in order to solve problems and provide service is stressful and delicate. They work with great competence and skill while providing invaluable services to students and staff.

School administrations often do not succeed in defining and describing Technical Support ESP jobs due to the diversity and complexity of the job tasks involved. Among those ESP who actually have job descriptions, 37% believe it does not accurately describe the amount or type of work they do. As many as 16% report that they have no job description at all. And finally, as many as 43% report having no input into writing, updating, or changing their job descriptions.

What Technical Services ESP really do on a daily basis must be identified more fully and then described more accurately in a comprehensive and meaningful job description. With little or no input in the job description writing process, Technical Services ESP are unable to achieve meaningful changes in their terms and conditions of employment, such as salary, job security, promotion opportunities, grievance adjudication, task management, time management, skill training, or career-enhancing professional development.

Your written job description — your work identity — matters a great deal! It should be accurate, comprehensive, result-oriented, and current — a written description of who you really are and what you really do as part of the school community and the Technical Services ESP Quality Workforce.

To Section 2: Federal and State Statutes