When Maryland’s Barbara Thompsonbecame president of the Frederick Association of School Support Employees (FASSE) three years ago, she vowed to do something about the “separateness” she had observed among ESPs.
Members of the various job groups tend to keep to themselves, she says. “We needed to find how we were the same instead of how we were different.”
The one thing that united them? Their interest in professional development.
So with help from the Frederick County Public Schools and Maryland State Teachers Association (MSTA), Thompson organized a support staff professional development day to unify her colleagues.
Today, the event has become an annual gathering where ESPs network and build their skills through workshops on leadership and communication skills, resume writing, legal issues for ESPs, school safety, and workplace stress, among other topics.
The organizers try to offer sessions that appeal to a variety of job groups, says Barbara, an administrative secretary at Twin Ride Elementary School and now former president of the local association. Staff from MSTA, UniServ directors, members of FASSE, and representatives from the school system facilitate workshops.
The local also negotiated financial support for a professional development day into its contract and the school system provides $2,000 for the event. FASSE also received a $1,500 grant from MSTA.
“This event exemplifies what we should be doing in this county, and that’s learning from one another,” says Jack Dale, superintendent of Frederick County Schools.
Barbara adds that the day shows nonmembers how FASSE supports ESPs. “I want them to know how special they are, and I also want them to know that as an organization we recognize that there is a hunger for personal and professional development.”
specialized team that is responsible for the climate control of 250 schools in the Las Vegas area. “We’re busy all the time with airflow problems, replacing units and working on temperature control problems,” he says.
But unlike his peers in private contracting firms who usually just work one job at a time, Lynch has a lot of “windshield time” — driving between schools every week that are more than 90 miles apart. The rapid spread of computers and information technology has also increased workloads for Technical Services employees, such as computer operators and systems analysts.
In addition to solving computer problems or plan- ning and developing new computer systems, it’s not uncommon for a systems analyst to have to upgrade an outdated network system for a building that was wired before the World Wide Web revolution.
“These jobs don’t require specialized
training or professional development.”
Employees in both Skilled Trades and Crafts and Technical Services need specialized training to do their jobs well and keep up with changing technology. Electricians, for example, enjoy one of the higher paid fields with a solid future, as schools become even more dependent on consistent and well-main- tained supplies of electricity. But electricity is still dangerous: Electricians must constantly stay informed about safety procedures and new techniques. That’s why electricians in most states participate in apprenticeship or journeyman training programs that involve course work and on-the-job training — usually under the direction of a licensed electrician. The programs are typically run by such unions as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers or the National Electrical Contractors Association. Most programs take four years to complete and can-
didates must attend nearly 160 hours of classroom instruction and 800 hours of practical training per year.
Most plumbers are also certified, and complete apprenticeship training that consists of five levels. The training requirements for learning on the job and at school are a minimum of 1,800 hours per level. About 80 percent of this time is spent learning practical skills on the job while the remaining 20 MYTH #2
WHO ARE WE?
Skilled Trades and Crafts
• We comprise two percent of NEA ESP mem- bers — more than 6,500 people
• 93 percent of us work full time
• 74 percent of us do not have an advanced degree, but 21 percent of us plan to earn one within the next four years
• 75 percent of us have attended professional development training in the past two years • 6 percent of us are currently attending school
or college
• 62 percent of us are paid on an hourly basis, with an average wage of $15.44 per hour • Our average annual salary is $29,612
percent is devoted to classroom instruction to learn the theory and technical requirements of the trade. For a school’s Technical Services employees — those who keep data processing up-to-date, or bring school news to the community, or facilitate student learning — new technologies mean a new way of working. Schools today are looking for professionals with a broader background and range of skills, including not only the technical knowledge but also skills in communications, problem-solving and pos- sibly art or graphic design.
In fact, many of the jobs in the technical services field promote communication. Through the improved use of the schools’ computers, these pro- fessionals can enhance communication not only for and throughout schools, but to students and their parents, as well. Promotion of school successes can be showcased on the school’s Internet, or via pam- phlets created by a school’s graphic artists and audio- visual and public relations specialists.
“These jobs are performed in isolation
and don’t affect student achievement.”
It doesn’t matter what they do — electricians, plumbers, carpenters or computer operators, web technicians, or Internet specialists — all of these important ESP play a vital role in the success of today’s schools and student achievement.
For Pennsylvania’s Bob Lepak and his colleagues in Skilled Trades and Crafts, safety is a top priority. “Adequate maintenance is essential to quality educa- tion for students,” he explains. “That means clean schools free of contaminated air, asbestos, and elec- trical hazards.”
Technical Services team members frequently interact directly with students and teachers. For example, the computer technician may host a procession of classes that come to work on writing projects, social study activities and math skills, or run weekly workshops for teachers and other staff who want to learn soft- ware programs on their computers.
Like their other ESP colleagues, these professionals also care about the children and communities where they work — like Pennsylvania’s Bill Snow. After Hurricane Floyd devastated portions of the nation in 1999, this school carpenter organized a group of electricians, plumbers and others who volunteered their time to fix houses that had been hit.
“Our small town, Neshaminy, is on a creek and many people didn’t have flood insurance,” he explains. “We just worked to put people’s houses back together, including many of the district’s employees.”
Carter Foshee,a master journeyman electrician from Broken Bow, Oklahoma, was recently honored by NEA for helping his ESP colleagues gain oppor- tunities to participate in the decision-making that affected their own rights as employees and promoted the welfare of schoolchildren.
On his own time, Foshee organized communities throughout Oklahoma to reject privatization efforts, often times traveling distances of up to 260 miles to hear education employees’ grievances and help them protect their jobs and gain a greater voice.
MYTH #3
WHO ARE WE?
Technical Services
• We comprise two percent of NEA ESP members — more than 6,500 people • 90 percent of us work full time • Approximately half of us do have an
advanced degree, and 32 percent of us plan to earn one within the next four years • 84 percent of us have attended professional
development training in the past two years • 11 percent of us are currently attending
school or college
• 67 percent of us are paid on an hourly basis, with an average wage of $13.37 per hour • Our average annual salary is $25,156