ESP members deserve enough to cover a Basic Family Budget
Myths and Facts about school
support staff, their jobs and their wages
Education support professionals (ESPs) keep school buildings and equipment functioning
and students safe and healthy.
As committed and caring members of a school community, they impact the lives of
students every day.
Yet support professionals are woefully underpaid, often barely able to afford to
live in the communities they serve. School support professionals work two or even
three jobs to feed and shelter their families, or earn so little that they qualify
for government assistance.
Through its nationwide salary initiative,
NEA is pushing for an appropriate living wage as starting pay for all education
support professionals. And here in Delaware, we are doing the same thing.
All public education salary schedules under study
The General Assembly, through language in last year's Budget Bill, created a Task
Force to examine educator salaries and make recommendations to the Governor by May
1. DSEA has a seat at the table. The group is now focusing on paraeducator salaries
which do not meet the standard of a "living wage."
Much to her credit, in both her State
of the State address and her budget address, the Governor said that she would examine
this report when it reached her desk so that she and the General Assembly would
have time to collaborate and have time to impact the state's budget for 2008.
In brief, an instructional aide, after 24 years of service, earns $26,146,
plus an addition $662 for being Highly Qualified under No Child left Behind which
equals $26,808. Many locals have negotiated salary supplements which can boost this
number to $30,000 - again after twenty-four years of service. The beginning salary
from the state is $14,325 and $16,580. Another goal of DSEA is to seek salary schedules
that compress earnings into fewer steps so that over a career one's lifetime earnings
are harder. Why should it take 24 years to reach the top of the scale?
To see the state's salary schedules for all education groups that DSEA represents
(except transportation), click here.
What are Basic Family Budget requirements here in Delaware?
Using the Economic Policy Institute's Basic Family Budget calculator, which includes
only the amounts needed for food, shelter, and clothing, and transportation-no extras-for
a family of one adult and one child is a good starting point. See below.
Why aim for a Basic Family Budget?
The federal poverty line has traditionally been used to measure whether families
have incomes high enough to enable them to meet basic needs. Yet most researchers
now agree that a "poverty line" income is not sufficient to support most working
families. "Basic Family Budgets," individualized for communities nationwide and
for type of family (e.g., one parent/one child, two parents/two children) offer
a realistic measure of the income required to have a safe and decent though basic
standard of living. The Economic Policy Institute's Basic Family Budget calculator
www.epi.org/content.cfm/datazone_fambud_budget ) lets you determine the income needed
for a family of your size to make ends meet Dover, Newark/Wilmington and "Rural."
The calculator also shows the number of families in living below the Basic Family
Budget level.
BASIC FAMILY BUDGET REQUIREMENTS
What does it take to get by in Delaware?
Source: Basic Family Budget calculations from the
Economic Policy Institute
Dover, DE
One parent/one child
Monthly housing $663
Monthly food $265
Monthly child care $550
Monthly transportation $275
Monthly health care $245
Monthly other necessities $251
Monthly taxes $234
Monthly total $2,483
Annual total $29,796
Number of all people in DE living below family budget line - 31,000
Wilmington-Newark One parent/one
child
Monthly housing $802
Monthly food $265
Monthly child care $550
Monthly transportation $272
Monthly health care $245
Monthly other necessities $288
Monthly taxes $346
Monthly total $2,768
Annual total $33,216
Number of all people in DE living below family budget line - 31,000
Rural, DE One parent/one child
Monthly housing $617
Monthly food $265
Monthly child care $381
Monthly transportation $313
Monthly health care $245
Monthly other necessities $238
Monthly taxes $69
Monthly total $2,128
Annual total $25,536
Number of all people in DE living
below family budget line - 31,000
Myths and Facts
about School support staff, their jobs and their wages
MYTH:
Education support professionals (ESPs) like cafeteria workers, custodians, security
guards, and bus drivers, are "job hoppers" who fill their positions on a temporary
basis before getting bored and moving on to the next job.
FACT:
ESPs stay with their schools for long periods of time as loyal, dedicated staff
members. " The average ESP has been on the job for at least 10 years, compared with
the astronomical turnover rate in the private industry service sector. (According
to Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation", fast food chains, for example,
have turnover rates of 300 to 400 percent.) " Because ESPs stay in their positions
for years, schools gain from their long-term experience and save the costs of training
new staff.
MYTH:
Paraeducators and other education support professionals are mostly women working
only to supplement their husband's salary, which supports the family.
FACT:
Whether they marry or not, most American women will work an average of 34 years
outside the home. " As in the rest of the society, many female ESPs are the principal
or sole source of support for their families. " School support positions are not
for "spending money" but are rewarding, challenging careers for women and men alike.
MYTH:
Custodial work is unskilled labor.
FACT: The job of the school custodian goes far beyond emptying trash and
mopping floors. " By using energy computer systems, many custodians are responsible
for controlling heating, ventilation and air conditioning for schools - which are
often large, multimillion dollar facilities. Proper operation of the computer is
required for regulating indoor air quality and safety for students, which requires
training and computer skills. " Often custodians must keep track of their own budgets
for supplies and help patrol the premises. Whether or not a school district has
its own security staff, custodians bear a large responsibility for building security.
" Custodians are also often in a position to observe student behavior and spot potential
problems in settings where there are no teachers. " Additionally, there are some
students who relate well to custodians, and who will share things with them they
will not reveal to teachers.
MYTH:
To drive a bus, all you need is a clean driving record and the ability to operate
a large vehicle.
FACT:
Bus drivers aren't truckers. What trucker has to operate a vehicle while having
eyes in the back of his or her head to make sure about 70 children are safe and
well-behaved? " School bus drivers need a commercial driver's license (CDL) with
an "S" endorsement for transporting school children. Every applicant for an "S"
endorsement must demonstrate, through a written assessment and road test, knowledge
of topics such as passenger loading/unloading, emergency evacuation procedures,
railroad crossings, pre-trip inspections, and driving skills appropriate to one
of three types of vehicle. " In addition, as more students with a variety of physical
and behavioral disabilities assimilate into mainstream schools, school bus drivers
must learn how to accommodate their special needs. " School bus drivers also must
be aware of the school system's rules for discipline and conduct for bus drivers
and the students they transport. They receive between 1 and 4 weeks of driving instruction
and classroom training on State and local laws, regulations, and policies of operating
school buses; safe driving practices; driver-pupil relations; first aid; special
needs of disabled and emotionally troubled students; and emergency evacuation procedures.
" Bus drivers play an important role in students' school day - they are the first
school employees students see in the morning, and the last ones they see at the
end of the day. They are also the point of contact for many students' parents.
MYTH: School secretaries are
glorified receptionists who answer the phones and greet visitors at the front desk.
FACT: School secretaries assist principals and all school administrators,
interact with all school personnel and faculty, and also must be the point of contact
for parents and their myriad concerns.
The school secretary is often the face of the school, communicating with parents
and community members about what's happening at school.
He or she takes care of administrative details, schedules appointments with children's
teachers and with the principals, and handles sending out school communications
- sometimes even producing school newsletters.
The school secretary is the person parents call about such things as registration,
bus schedules, school lunches, after-school programs