Full Text of SJR0020 102nd General Assembly
SJ0020 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Education Support Professionals (ESPs) are the | 3 | | backbone of Pre-K through 12 public education and also work in | 4 | | higher education institutions; more than half a million | 5 | | Education Support Professional members across the country take | 6 | | care of our children every day; they ensure all students have | 7 | | the tools they need to succeed in our schools, classrooms, and | 8 | | higher education institutions; ESPs are comprised of nine | 9 | | career families working in clerical services, custodial and | 10 | | maintenance services, food services, health and student | 11 | | services, security services, skilled trades, technical | 12 | | services, and transportation services and as paraeducators; | 13 | | ESPs are not treated, respected, nor valued the same as | 14 | | teachers; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, ESPs interact daily with students, parents, and | 16 | | staff; responsibilities include, but are not limited to, | 17 | | processing and maintaining vital, confidential data and | 18 | | student records; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, ESPs keep schools open, operational, safe, | 20 | | accessible, and clean for students, staff, and the community | 21 | | at all times; they are responsible for ensuring proper indoor | 22 | | air quality and for complying with ROE state regulations and | 23 | | federal OSHA standards for safety operations in the school |
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| 1 | | buildings; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, ESPs ensure that students have access to safe and | 3 | | nutritious meals and ensure that school districts are | 4 | | complying with the federal free and reduced meal guidelines; | 5 | | and | 6 | | WHEREAS, ESPs perform a wide variety of health assistance | 7 | | that improves and protects student health and welfare; their | 8 | | responsibilities include, but are not limited to, traditional | 9 | | tasks of providing first aid, monitoring immunizations, | 10 | | conducting health screenings, and assisting sick and injured | 11 | | children; ESPs also provide education that encourages students | 12 | | to maintain good health independently; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, ESPs perform professional responsibilities that | 14 | | contribute directly to student achievement by providing direct | 15 | | services to students and their families, including academic, | 16 | | social emotional, behavioral, English as a second language, | 17 | | special education, and medical and life skills support for | 18 | | general education to ensure all students receive fair and | 19 | | equitable educational opportunities; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, ESPs have a clear understanding of not only | 21 | | security techniques but also the unique nature of the school | 22 | | population with whom they work; on a broader level, they are |
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| 1 | | active in designing and implementing security policies and | 2 | | crisis response plans; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, ESPs maintain and improve the physical quality of | 4 | | school buildings, offices, and facilities; they work behind | 5 | | the scenes to repair, maintain, and operate machinery that is | 6 | | essential to the smooth functioning of the school; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, ESPs lead the effort to maintain high standards | 8 | | of technology and communication in our schools; they install, | 9 | | repair, and upgrade computers and networks that enable the | 10 | | timely communication of essential information between parents, | 11 | | school district employees, and students; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, ESPs transport students to and from school | 13 | | safely, and an ESP is the first people to greet each student in | 14 | | the morning and last to say goodbye as they return home; ESPs | 15 | | operate and maintain all of a school system's vehicles; in | 16 | | addition to driving, often in bad weather or heavy traffic, | 17 | | they are responsible for first aid and emergency evacuation | 18 | | procedures, student conduct and discipline, and the safe | 19 | | transportation of students with special needs; all employees | 20 | | in a district's transportation department stay up-to-date on | 21 | | new safety requirements, regulations, and policies; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, The starting salaries of ESPs begin at $10.00 per |
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| 1 | | hour for the 2020-2021 school year in the state of Illinois | 2 | | according to the ISBE Non-certified Salary Study; ESPs also | 3 | | often do not qualify for health benefits or use most or all of | 4 | | their wages to pay for health benefits; some ESPs earn at or | 5 | | near poverty level and qualify for government assistance; many | 6 | | ESPs must work more than one job to provide for their families; | 7 | | therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 9 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF | 10 | | REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that Education Support | 11 | | Professionals in public schools should be treated with the | 12 | | same respect, recognition, value, and standards as teachers | 13 | | and should no longer be second class citizens within the ranks | 14 | | of public education; these professionals provide invaluable | 15 | | services to school communities; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the General Assembly to seek | 17 | | solutions via study and legislation that include, but are not | 18 | | limited to, legislated salary parity, quality professional | 19 | | development and training, and mandated access to health | 20 | | benefits for all education support professionals.
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