The ESProfessionals:
An Action Guide to Help in Your Professional Development

Local Association Success Stories:
Sharing Training Money With Teachers

Caesar Rodney Education Association
Camden, Delaware

"To have the best classroom we can have, teachers must work with paraprofessionals as a team. This means that we must receive the same training they do." -Diane Robinson, Special Education Records Paraprofessional, Caesar Rodney School District, Camden, Delaware

That was Then

Caesar Rodney Education Association (CREA) teachers used to ave access to a "travel fund" -- money set aside to attend conferences. But for their needs, paraprofessionals couldn't get near that money. Diane Robinson, currently a special education records paraprofessional and a former pre-K paraprofessional, didn't think that was fair.

She was tired of staying behind in the classroom or, when permitted to attend, being the "third wheel" at the teachers' workshops. When the wake-up call came with regard to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and new Title I requirements, Diane joined the huge outcry with her fellow paraprofessionals. She explains, "We wanted the training. We wanted to know what was going on in special education. How else were we to find out about new laws and regulations, things we need to know for our jobs? Teachers would attend conferences, then walk back to the classroom to explain the concepts to us. This was very inefficient. Information would get lost in translation."

This is Now

Gone are the days when paraprofessionals were merely told what to do by the classroom teacher. Says Diane, "Our Title I paraprofessionals are changing quickly. Now everyone is starting to see the real need for everyone to be trained. This is a trend that is not going to go away."

Diane remembers when professional development for each teacher was limited to a maximum of $400. "They had to pay for their substitutes out of that money. That didn't leave much for the workshops," she explains. Now, the school district picks up the tab for the substitutes. Says Cynthia Angermeir, a school psychologist for the Caesar Rodney School District, "It was especially difficult for our specialists, like the speech pathologists, who have to be licensed. You can't get too far with $400."

Per a new contract in 2002, CREA's travel fund for each school year is now approximately $10,000, and both teachers and paraprofessionals can submit an application for a share of the money. The application is then reviewed by a handful of Association members along with school board members and district office administrators.

This is How

For two years prior to the new contract, negotiations centered on language to strengthen CREA's contract. The bargaining team looked closely at teachers' rights, noticing that the rights of the paraprofessionals were largely ignored in the contract.

Professional development was one of the areas to which the school district was responsive. Says Diane, "It wasn't a major issue. They were quite agreeable to having language in the contract that guaranteed us opportunities for professional development." She adds, "Given this age of accountability, the district knew they just couldn't refuse."

Diane sums up her reasons why the paraprofessionals wanted to be able to use the travel fund. "For 10 years, we didn't get to use any of the money. We believe that we are as important as the teachers. In fact, we're working in the trenches right alongside the teachers -- that has to count for something."

Words of Wisdom

"For us, since teachers and paraprofessionals are in the same bargaining unit, our best allies in our battle for better professional development were teachers who knew the value of a trained paraprofessional. Once they worked with us in the classroom, they realized what an asset we were to them and to the students."

Contact

Diane Robinson-Special Education Records Paraprofessional
sonice315@aol.com

Cindy Angermeir-CREA President
cynthia.angermeir@cr.k12.de.us

   **See CPA's Contract Language in Action Tool #8 .

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