AFL-CIO
Classified School
Employees
PLEASE NOTE:
These numbers have been rounded off.
AVERAGE NUMBER
OF MEMBERS PER:
STATE
SENATE
DISTRICT
CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT
4,125
STATE
ASSEMBLY
DISTRICT
5,466 2,733
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
REPRESENTED BY CSEA
K–12 School Districts Community College Districts County Offices of Education Retired Members Public Sectorand Other
TOTAL
EMPLOYEES REPRESENTED DISTRICTS REPRESENTED
183,396
11,861
10,204
11,540
1,644
218,645
52
46
—
18
784
ACCOUNTING/FISCAL ATHLETIC TRAINERS BUILDING/GROUNDS/ MAINTENANCE CUSTODIAL FOOD SERVICESHEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFICE/CLERICAL/SECRETARIAL PARAEDUCATORS/ INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS SAFETY/SECURITY/SCHOOL POLICE TRANSPORTATION/BUS DRIVERS TV/RADIO PRODUCTION WAREHOUSE ... and many others
JOB CLASSIFICATIONS REPRESENTED
668
C
lassified employees have proudly organized under the banner of CSEA since joining together in 1927 to work toward obtaining retirement security. CSEA is a member-run union and the respected voiceof classified employees at the local, state and national levels.
I
n the modern age,
school districts could
not function without
classified school employees.
These essential staff members per-form a wide range of vital services for students, parents, teachers and administrators. This extraordinary workforce keeps our campuses safe, clean and organized. Most impor-tantly, they strive to improve the lives of our students every day.
CSEA is proud to represent more than 210,000 dedicated classified employees in California public schools and community colleges who perform a variety of services that keep our schools and communi-ty colleges up and running, includ-ing school security, food services, office and clerical staff, school main-tenance and operations, academic assistance, transportation, library and media assistance, computer services and more.
EssEntial to our
schools and collEgEs
From the time students enter campus or board a school bus in the morning to the time they head home at the end of the day, every aspect of their education experience
Classified Employees
are the Backbone
of our Education System
is impacted by a classified school employee. Whether it’s the class-room or the playground, the school cafeteria or the college financial aid office, classified employees make a difference daily in the lives of students.
sErving our communitiEs
Just as classified employees are on the front lines working to ensure the safety and care of students on campus, many are working to build better communities as well. The typical classified employee has worked in education for decades, building strong ties within the community. Classified employees know generations of the same families and are immersed in neighborhood culture. Whether they’re working for local charities, campaigning for schools bonds, or volunteering in youth sports programs, classified employees serve their communities with pride.Food Service Professionals
F
ood service professionalscourte-ously serve students hot meals and tasty, healthy snacks. They make sure that everything they are serving meets nutritional guidelines and is savory and presentable. They courteously serve the students hot meals and tasty, healthy snacks. Food service profes-sionals are in charge of keeping the cafeteria, kitchen, cooking equipment and utensils clean, sanitary and in orderly condition. They also handle the payment for meals from the students.
nutritious mEals
Food service professionals are very aware of the nutritional guide-lines implemented to make sure that students have the best diet possible. When district equipment and policies permit it, they cook from scratch with the same care and love they devote to their own family’s meals.
safE and sanitary facilitiEs
They are experts at maintain-ing the cafeteria and the kitchen in sanitary condition. The Food and Drug Administration’s “Report of the FDA Retail Food Program Database of Foodborne Illness Risk Factors” released in August 2000 found that elementary schools, along with hospitals and nursing homes, had the highest food code compliance rating among both commercial and insti-tutional food service establishments studied.
It is highly unlikely that students will get ill from eating something from the school cafeteria. A 2003 report from the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, found that there are relatively few instances of foodborne illness outbreaks in the nation’s schools. The GAO report identified
only 195 foodborne illness outbreaks in schools nationwide between 1990 and 1999. This represents just 3 per-cent of all outbreaks reported during that period.
dEdication and sErvicE
Food service professionals serve approximately 487 million school lunches each year in California. They begin their day as early as 4 a.m. to have breakfast ready by the time students arrive at school. As students begin eating breakfast, the kitchen staff is already busy preparing their lunch.
Food service professionals also regularly attend classes and train-ing to improve their skills and stay up-to-date on the latest nutritional standards.
Maintenance
and Operations
F
rom custodians togroundskeep-ers to skilled trades, maintenance and operations workers stretch lim-ited resources to maintain the safety and performance of campus facilities and school grounds.
Custodians are usually the first ones to arrive on campus every morning to unlock gates, open restrooms, turn alarms off and make sure the facilities are clean and pose no hazards for students. During their workday, custodians interact with students, teachers, administrators and parents. Some custodians work in the evenings to prepare the campus for the following day by cleaning class-rooms and setting up for the next day’s events. Because of the nature of their job, school custodians have training in handling biohazards and chemicals and at many campuses, they’re responsible for the
heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for the entire school.
Skilled maintenance work-ers such as plumbwork-ers,
lock-smiths, HVAC specialists and others perform required upkeep, take care of emergencies and handle some or all renovations of school facili-ties. These skilled trades men and women handle everything from a leaky roof to a broken bathroom sink. Locksmiths create master keys and perform routine maintenance on all doors and locks, while HVAC special-ists repair the heating and air condi-tioning systems when they go down. Glaziers install and repair windows, while carpenters maintain the struc-tural integrity of school buildings.
Groundskeepers make sure schools are presentable and safe for the students. They take care of all the plant life on school grounds, including maintaining athletic fields, trimming and watering lawns and other plants, applying fertilizers and
insecticides where needed, pruning trees and shrubs, and removing litter and any dangerous debris on school grounds.
Office and
Administrative
Professionals
A
s the first line of entry to a school, the office staff’s No. 1 priority is to make sure students are kept safe.thE hub of thE school
But as anyone who’s been in a school knows, the office is also the hub of any school. School office workers serve as liaisons between parents, teachers and adminis-trators. They help parents set up appointments with teachers, princi-pals, counselors or other school staff.
The school office also provides information related to the school or student. The school office staff can tell you about irregular schedules, minimum days, in-service days, school events and any number of details about the school’s daily operations. They also handle all the paperwork and other clerical duties. With cutbacks in funding to schools, many schools don’t have nurses.
When this is the case, the school office is also respon-sible for keeping a
student’s medicine and giving it to the student when necessary.
In general, each member of a school office’s staff has different responsibilities. Their duties range from principals’ secretaries and attendance clerks to receptionists. There are some tasks that are spe-cific to certain people, while all the office staff might share other admin-istrative tasks.
rEcord kEEping kEEps
thE funds flowing
The school office is required by law to account for every student at the school since school fund-ing is based on pupil attendance. Attendance clerks keep meticulous records and follow-up on student
absences. The office staff uses specialized software to maintain computerized data on students including grades, testing, attendance, discipline and health.
fiscal pros know
whErE it goEs
Fiscal and budget professionals make sure the money goes where it’s supposed to go. They keep track of funds, whether among depart-ments, at the district level or from the school to the district budget office. Fiscal professionals work with all departments and divisions. They make sure that payroll checks go out and they keep track of grants, student fees and funding from the state. Fiscal professionals make sure that guidelines are followed so col-leges and schools receive state and federal funding.
Paraeducators
C
SEA has adopted the term“paraeducator” to cover the broad variety of different academic support roles classified employees perform, including teacher’s aide, teaching assistant, classroom aide, teacher’s associate and paraprofes-sional. A survey identified more than 60 different job titles that could be included in the para- educator category.
It has been nearly 50 years since the first paraeducators were introduced into American class-rooms in response to teacher shortages during the early years of the post-World War II baby boom. They have become an important part of the education workforce and their numbers have been increasing steadily.
acadEmic support
hElps studEnts succEEd
Paraeducators cover many different areas of education. Some specialize in working with academically struggling students, others work with English-language learners and still others work with special needs children.
Paraeducators work directly with children, providing specialized academic assistance to students and teachers. Some help the teacher in the classroom and work with children who need one-on-one attention. Others assist students in computer labs, and some even reach out to families in their homes. Paraeducators make sure students get the help they need when they need it. They support and enhance the work of teachers in all compo-nents of the education process.
Student Transportation
A
uto mechanics and school busdrivers are the people who make sure that the buses are safe and students get to and from school every day.
Bus drivers are the first school workers to greet students in the morn-ing and the last to wave goodbye to them at the end of their school day. They serve as children’s role models, teachers, mentors and friends.
thE safEst ridE to school
Even though bus drivers must keep their eyes on the road ahead and on the children behind them, their extensive training makes the familiar yellow school bus one of the safest forms of transportation. Ac-cording to a National Safety Council report, school buses are 172 times safer than the family car, eight times safer than passenger trains, four times safer than public transit and eight times safer than
scheduled airlines. School bus drivers are required by law to receive more training than any
other type of driver in California, including training in student man-agement and first aid. They must also undergo background checks, ongo-ing trainongo-ing and frequent recertifica-tion for the durarecertifica-tion of their career. School bus drivers are regulated by hundreds of additional laws govern-ing the operation and maintenance of a school bus, including procedures to load and unload the students.
mEchanics
maintain thE flEEt
Handling everything from routine maintenance to major overhauls, district mechanics ensure that school buses and other district vehicles operate smoothly and safely. The pre-ventive maintenance they perform on a daily basis saves school districts money on costly repairs and equip-ment replaceequip-ment.
Auto mechanics employed by school districts adhere to strict standards similar to school bus drivers. They have to maintain a clean driving record, attend
periodic training sponsored by the Department of Transportation, and they have to pass a proficiency test. Auto mechanics perform every type of job imaginable on a district’s vehicles. On any given day, they may be changing tires on a school bus, replacing a transmission or an engine on a fleet vehicle, changing hoses and belts on a tractor, or even lubricating a lawn mower. They also update safety devices and install sur-veillance equipment as needed.
It is especially important for school districts to have in-house auto mechanics when emergencies arise. If a vehicle needs emergency attention, whether on the road or in the shop, a school district’s mechanic is available immediately to get the vehicle running as soon as possible.
Special
Services
D
epending on the size of theschool or college district, there can be hundreds of additional job classifications that fall within the classified service. From community liaisons to sign language interpret-ers to computer technicians, just about any campus employee who isn’t a teacher or administrator is a classified school employee.
Jobs run thE gamut
These specialized services meet the unique needs of each school and college district. Sign language interpreters translate spoken language using American Sign Language or Signed English for students who are hearing impaired.
Community liaisons help students overcome obstacles
such as financial hardship, health issues and social problems. Drop-out prevention specialists moni-tor truancies and look for students who drop out, and health aides are often the first ones
to respond when a child becomes sick or injured at school.
school sEcurity
kEEps EvEryonE safE
School security is obviously essential in this day and age to make sure students, teachers and staff are safe while on the campus. Beyond responding to emergencies, though, campus security staff also makes an effort to identify and reach out to troubled students to get them help with their issues. School security also assists with gang prevention programs and coordinates with local law enforcement as needed.
computEr pros hElp
schools harnEss
tEchnology
Computer specialists configure, install and maintain computers, data network platforms, printers, software and e-mail accounts. Computer pros perform advanced security configurations, trouble-shoot RAID and other storage area networks, monitor servers and provide user support and training.
library staff managEs
books, tEchnology
and imaginations
Unfortunately, due to cutbacks over the years, many school libraries no longer have certificated librarians and are staffed primarily with clas-sified employees. From library techs to digital media specialists to clerks, classified employees make sure books and audio/visual materials are selected based on curriculum standards and guidelines. They help students access books for
reading and online databases for academic research, gather younger learners for reading and story telling, and evaluate books and other material for the school’s library collections.
These and other classified professionals are helping schools to meet their mission of providing a safe, welcoming environment conducive to learning.
Duties Continue to Expand
A
fter the cutbacks districts have endured over the past several years, many other respon-sibilities have shifted to classified employees as well. But no matterwhat, one thing is sure: Classified employees will continue to be an integral partner in the success of California’s schools and colleges.
AFL-CIO
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