EAW Paraprofessional Organizational Support Letter

Educational support professionals, who are members of the Educational Associates of Worcester (EAW), are essential to the functioning of Worcester Public Schools. They transport our students safely to school, feed them, and provide critical health and educational support. ESPs guarantee that all Worcester's students have access to equitable and appropriate education regardless of learning or other disabilities. It is impossible to imagine our schools functioning without them.

It is unacceptable that many of Worcester Public Schools' ESPs report a pattern of administrative neglect and mistreatment, low pay, insufficient staffing, and other grave concerns. Our ESPs deserve a workplace where they are safe and respected. They deserve adequate compensation for their hard work and dedication. The students of Worcester deserve schools that are fully staffed, functional, and capable of providing for their diverse needs. Families of ESPs are doubly impacted, both as students at Worcester Public Schools and as the children of caregivers who must choose between careers working with all of our students and time spent at home with their own.

This situation can only be resolved when ESPs receive the compensation and treatment they deserve and have earned. To that end, we affirm our full support for the contract demands of the ESPs, including:

1. A Living Wage. Many ESPs qualify for government assistance despite working full-time for Worcester Public Schools. Others have to work second and even third jobs to provide for their families. ESPs, like all workers, deserve a living wage for their labor.

2. Affordable Health Insurance. ESPs often receive "zero-dollar checks," with all their wages to health insurance premiums. They deserve better.

3. Health and Safety. ESPs often face physical, verbal, and emotional abuse in the workplace and administrative reprisals. ESPs need adequate supplies, full staffing, training on OSHA rules, and whistleblower protections.