A Voice On the Job

ESPs on Maryland's Eastern Shore organize local Associations to win better benefits, pay, and working conditions.

Photo by Sandy Schaeffer

Education support professionals on Maryland's Eastern Shore are making their collective voice heard. Hundreds of ESPs and supportive teachers have worked tirelessly to build membership in existing Maryland State Teachers Association (MSTA) units and form new ones for support professionals in all nine counties along the coast. Their efforts already have met with early success.

"This is a new beginning," says Wayne Bedwell, an MSTA member and a supervising custodian for Kent County Public Schools. "Already 77 percent of ESPs in our school districts are dues-paying members. It's been a good ride."

The journey started last year when members of the MSTA lobbied successfully for legislation expanding teacher and ESP bargaining rights.

In addition to giving Maryland ESPs the right to bargain for due process in discipline and dismissal proceedings, the legislation extends first-time collective bargaining rights to the 3,000 education support professionals on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

In each county, once 30 percent of the ESPs employed join the Association, they can request a representation election to select MSTA as their collective bargaining agent. Campaign leaders already are predicting that ESPs will either win the elections or recruit enough members so that the school districts voluntarily will recognize MSTA as the official bargaining agent.

"You would not believe the excitement in this campaign," says Jackie Harris, MSTA's ESP UniServ director coordinating the Eastern Shore campaign.

"This is an unbelievably active membership. When we lobbied for the legislation last year, it was the members who did the work. And now we have the same members organizing new members. MSTA can give people resources, but it's the members who get things done."

More than 50 ESPs and teachers braved heavy snows in February to attend an MSTA ESP organizing conference in St. Michaels, Maryland. Members participated in workshops on team-building, learned specifics about the laws governing the representation elections, and practiced techniques for educating co-workers by holding group discussions and simulated interviews.

The conference also addressed ways for battling the misinformation some school districts have provided that has given employees the impression they are not eligible to join MSTA.

"Many ESPs have been misled about their rights," says Jody Murdoch, a school secretary and MSTA member. "Some of the employees we talk to are afraid. They have been led to believe either that they can't join or that bad things will happen to them if they do. Our job is to help them overcome those fears through education--by telling them the truth."

Ronnie Valentine, an MSTA member and school bus driver in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, says the response she has seen from members has been overwhelmingly positive because of the critical job issues involved.

"Getting fair pay and benefits is just the tip of the iceberg," she says. "This campaign is about respect. School employees need it and want it.

"I've been working here for 10 years, and I can tell you that my co-workers are ready to work hard to improve their jobs. The drivers I've talked to who have joined MSTA have told me their dues is the best money they have ever spent. We're going to win this."

Larry Moore, an MSTA member and custodian in his 27th year with Caroline County Schools, says the process of building membership has been slow but steady.

"It takes long, hard work, especially because of the intimidation custodians have felt from the school district," says Moore. "But we're succeeding because the issues are big. Understaffing is a huge issue for custodians, and we can only address that if we have a collective voice."

Jean Lewis, an MSTA member and high school special education teacher in Cambridge, Maryland, says the collective voice of school employees should be the voice of teachers and support professionals alike.

"I'm helping ESPs build their membership because we need a comprehensive group working in collaboration both inside the classroom and in improving our jobs to better serve students," she says. "I can't do my job without daily help from support professionals, so I need to be there for them, too. Together, we bring the quality to education. We need to stick together all the way."

--Matt Simon

For More: Visit www.msta.nea.org or contact Jackie Harris at 410/548-2875.

Going the Extra Mile

Keeping up with Technology
Using a $3,250 NEA ESP Technology Grant the local received last summer, the Seminole Educational Clerical Association (SECA) in Florida plans to help interested members expand their computer knowledge.

SECA purchased a laptop computer and projector with the grant. The laptop helps SECA President Jimmie Blake strengthen his communication with members. The local also uses it to prepare presentations for membership drives and training programs.

"The Association needs to keep itself updated. If you're not updated with technology, then you're considered a dinosaur," Blake says.

The Berkeley Education Association of Paraprofessionals in Michigan also received a $3,450 NEA ESP Technology Grant last August. The local used the funds to purchase two laptop computers and digital cameras and plans to train its members how to use technology.

The local hopes the efforts will help ESPs become comfortable with technology, says Sally Savasky, a school media specialist and Association member. Members participated in several training sessions last fall.

ESPs from the district's eight schools take turns using the equipment. The effort is part of an Association program to put a laptop in each school for ESP use.

First ESP Conference
Sixty-five participants attended NEA-Alaska's first statewide ESP conference, a one-day event that preceded the statewide leadership training conference.

Members pushed for the conference for several reasons, says Nancy Castillo, ESP director at-large for the NEA-Alaska Board of Directors. ESPs wanted an opportunity to meet, network, and share ideas with each other, she says. The Association also wanted to reach out to ESP members in more remote parts of the state, especially along the coast.

"We are a fast growing group and we have very similar issues to the certificated people in this area, but we have our own issues and our own concerns," Castillo says. "I feel like we need to bring those issues and concerns forward and be an integral part of NEA-Alaska."

The conference, held last October, featured sessions on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, technology issues for classified employees, organizing, and labor laws. Castillo and other members of the state ESP committee already are planning next fall's event.

Profile
One Perfect Piece

Name:
Linda Johnson

Job Title:
Paraeducator, Twin Spruce Junior High School, Gillette, Wyoming

What I Do in My Job:
I work with students who are legally blind or low vision. I taught myself to read and write Braille so I could better serve my students by helping them with their studies and translating their books into Braille.

The Most Rewarding Part of My Job:
Former students have invited me to their graduation ceremonies. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a student receive a high school diploma. I just beam with pride.

Why I Do What I Do:
I like challenges. I like learning new things such as Braille. I like the challenge of convincing a blind student that anything is possible.

My Favorite Pastime:
Antiquing! I will visit any shop, anywhere and spend hours scouring the shelves for that one perfect piece. I love the history in antiques. Every piece has a story of where it's been and where it's going.

How I've Helped My Association:
I met a bus driver several years ago with a husband and three children whom she could barely support on her salary. The family was on welfare and, eventually, the woman had to quit her job because the pay was too low.

Since then, I have fought to increase teacher and paraprofessional salaries. Eventually our teachers received a substantial raise and the education support professionals received a $1 per hour raise. We still have a long way to go, but I will continue to fight for better labor laws in Wyoming.

A Little Known Fact About Me:
One day I was teaching a blind student a lesson when the lights in the school building suddenly went out. I patted my student's arm and said, "Don't be scared, I'm right here. The lights just went off." The student replied, "It's OK. I'm blind. Don't worry, I can take you anywhere you need to go in the building."

ESP Resources

Paraeducator Handbook
NEA's ESP Quality Department has released a revised edition of the Paraeducator Handbook. This handy guide includes information and resources about how the 1997 revision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act affects paraeducators. The handbook includes an overview of IDEA '97, ideas for professional development, training resources, and updated information from the state affiliates. To request a free copy, call 202/822-7151 or visit the ESP website at www.nea.org/esphome/.

Playground Safety
Every year, more than 200,000 children are injured on playgrounds. The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS), located at the University of Northern Iowa, offers resources and information to help keep children safe while they play. The NPPS website includes statistics on playground-related accidents, and information on equipment manufacturers and distributors, injury prevention, and a playground inspection guide. Check out the site at www.uni.edu/playground/home.html.

Asthma and Schools
The Asthma and Schools website at www.asthmaandschools.org offers a variety of asthma-related resources for educators. The section "Asthma Essentials" includes general information about asthma, its triggers, and treatment. The site also offers a simple, searchable database that links to educational materials, medical information, websites, and other useful resources. Visitors to the site can recommend new resources as well.