Education staff professionals1 are valued and critical members of every public school community.
They meet the needs of the whole student, promoting quality education and fostering positive learning environments.
Education staff professionals ensure students achieve at their highest levels. They keep students emotionally and physically healthy and safe. They engage students and keep them connected to the larger school community. They provide instruction and academic supports, challenging and motivating students by maintaining high expectations.
The category of education staff professional includes many different career families:
- Clerical Services
- Custodial and Maintenance Services
- Food Services
- Health and Student Services
- Paraeducators
- Security Services
- Skilled Trade Services
- Technical Services
- Transportation Services
A vital part of every school; a vital part of our union
Like their critical role in each school community, education staff professionals play a vital role in every part of the Florida Education Association.
In addition leadership at every level of our union, education staff professional members have their own statewide council, the Education Staff Professional Program and Policy Council (ESP PPC), dedicated to the issues uniquely affecting ESP members.
In October 2018, Secretary-Treasurer Carole Gauronskas became the first education staff professional member elected to an FEA statewide office.
The Florida Education Association along with our national affiliates — AFT and NEA – are committed to elevating that status of all education staff professionals and ensuring they receive the support and training needed to excel in their career.
Members Answer the Call
We know that far too many education staff professionals earn below-poverty-level wages and have to work two, or even three jobs, just to make ends meet. This is why it is so important for all education staff professionals to band together and make their voices heard both in the legislature and at in the collective bargaining process.
Additionally, the same corporate interests that undermine school funding and attack our union rights are also trying to privatize many education staff professional jobs. They either do not understand, or simply do not care, about the important role that dedicated education staff professionals play in the life of a student.
Through their local unions education staff professional members are on the front lines of these fights to Fund Our Future and defeat short-sighted privatization schemes that put our students at risk.
Additional Resources
- FEA education staff professionals salary fliers
- AFT Resources for Education Staff Professionals (including toolkits on professional standards, managing school bus behavior and dealing with student behavior)
- NEA Resources for Education Staff Professionals (including toolkits for every ESP job classification.)
- ParaPro Assessment information (Note: Each district has their own process for credentialing paraprofessionals so check with your school district’s HR department for specifics.)
1 Each local and national union uses a different term to refer to the wide range of paraprofessionals and non-instructional staff who work at public schools: FEA uses the term education staff professionals; NEA uses education support professionals; and AFT uses PSRP, or paraprofessionals and school-related personnel.
