2025 ESP Conference: ESP Bill of Rights—Building a Movement, Not Just a Moment
Where
The Maritime Conference Center692 Maritime Blvd
Linthicum Heights, MD 21090
When
At ESP Bill of Rights—Building a Movement, Not Just a Moment you will discuss current topics with colleagues and learn from MSEA members. Topics will include the ESP Bill of Rights campaign, ESP employment rights, career advancement, and racial, social, and economic justice.
A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration deadline is February 12.
Agenda
8:00 a.m. Registration
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 AM Welcome and Keynote
9:55-10:55 a.m. Session I
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Session II
12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Session III
2:10 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. Session IV
3:10 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Call to Action
Session Descriptions
Session I
How to Advance in Your Career: John Carnahan, MSEA UniServ Director; Jana Rossetto-Kennedy, Executive Assistant/MSEA Center for Legal Affairs
This workshop will offer tips on writing great resumes and cover letters, how to reflect unique skills that will make future employers want to hire or promote you, and practical advice to help you feel more confident during your interview.
10 Ways to Supercharge Your Member Communications: Adam Mendelson, MSEA Assistant Executive Director/Center for Public Affairs
Unsure how to best use your local’s social media? Wish that your newsletters packed more punch? Need to make sure your local communications are making an impact? Then come to this training to learn how to strengthen your local communications. We’ll cover topics like improving member-focused communications, effectively using social media, utilizing a Race Class Narrative, and more.
ESP Power and Respect: Evan West, MSEA Organizational Development Specialist
This snapshot is an overview of CEPP’s larger ESP Power and RESpect workshop wherein participants will learn to recognize your importance in every aspect of public education and how to use your voice to influence your professional input. In this workshop you will develop stronger communication skills, learn the importance of being assertive and how to organize around issues confronting ESP and the students we work with. Participants will come away with a powerful understanding of the work they do and how it contributes to the entire learning community.
How to Activate the Members in Your Worksite Through Building Mapping: Joia Clevenger, MSEA UniServ Director
Does it feel like the members and potential members in your worksite are disconnected? It’s time for some Building Mapping. Mapping is the process of assessing your co-workers’ interest in organizing and strengthening their connections to our union. This session will give you the tools to activate your worksite. Solidarity is power, and building mapping is a concrete tool you’ll both learn and begin to do in this workshop to maximize your solidarity!
Session II
Building the Movement through ESP Leadership and Organizing Mentoring Program: Sonia Fortin, Massachusetts Teachers Association ESP Organizer
Learn from Massachusetts ESP leaders how they developed a statewide ESP Leadership Mentoring Program focusing on organizing, leadership development, capacity building, and mobilizing ESPs in a manner that is rooted in the power of the rank-and-file. “For ESPs by ESPs”
Public Speaking: How to Get More People to See Things the Way You Do and Help Spread Your Message: Patti Mullins, MSEA Public Affairs Specialist
The best people to communicate the issues facing support staff are support staff members! Too often ESPs are overlooked, but that changes when we use our collective voice to tell our stories. This session will review the best techniques to use when speaking publicly about issues such as the ESP Bill of Rights to school boards, county executives, parents, and other possible community allies.
The ESP Bill of Rights is a Movement for Racial, Social, and Economic Justice: Tina Dove, MSEA Organizational Specialist; Mariela Puentes, MSEA Organizational Specialist
Economic justice is a building block in the global fight for racial and social justice. This session will outline MSEA’s ESP Bill of Rights Campaign, show how it connects to the larger RSJ struggle, and elevate examples of intersectional coalitions who organized to advance the RSEJ movement.
ESP Employment Rights: Jamie Sapia, MSEA Center for Legal Affairs
Join the MSEA legal department for an informational session about your employment rights. Topics include your first amendment rights, resolving student issues, and grievance procedures. Bring your questions!
Session III
How to Turn the Bill of Rights into Local Wins: Kira Schuman, MSEA UniServ Director
The ESP Bill of Rights movement isn’t only for state affiliate initiatives, but also a toll to support your local contract campaigns so you can win better salaries and working conditions for ESP in your district. This session will feature a case study outlining how the Howard County Education Association utilized the Bill of Rights to organize their members to win higher salaries and better working conditions for the ESP members in their school system.
Trauma and De-Escalation: Evan West, MSEA Organizational Development Specialist
This workshop provides practical, next day skills for identifying, assessing, and de-escalating problematic student behavior while giving a basis for understanding that behavior through the lens of trauma and social-emotional learning.
Labor Relations and Resolving Issues: Dan Chambers MSEA Organizer, Political and Legislative Affairs
Almost every union has a process to regularly meet with HR to discuss employee concerns and questions. Sometimes these meetings work well, and sometimes they don’t. In this session we will review how to best utilize this process to address the issues and concerns of our members.
MSEA ESP Bargaining Goals: The Path to a Winning Contract (DOUBLE SESSION): Cindy Poper, Harford County Education Association Vice-President
Using the MSEA ESP bargaining goals, how can ESPs get language and salary increases that reflect the Bill of Rights. Using your actual contract, learn how to write proposals for the bargaining table that will result in contract wins. This is a double session.
Session IV
Unleashing the Power of Educational Support Professionals: Summer Organizing Explained: Rachel Hautmann, MSEA Summer Organizing Coach
In this session we will explore effective strategies for engaging one-on-one conversations at the door, focusing on the ESP Bill of Rights, and learn best practices for impactful dialogues, including the Affirm Answer Redirect approach as well as how to assess the conversations.
Coping With Difficult Personalities – Survival Strategies: Veronica Henderson
There are several recognized categories of “difficult personalities”. This training offers practical and realistic techniques to help cope and communicate with a variety of such individuals more successfully. A sense of humor is a pre-requisite for this workshop.
Organizing and Advocacy: A Look at the History of NEA and MSEA: Carlos Mellott, MSEA UniServ Director
Our movement for great public schools and the rights of educators began in 1857 in Philadelphia. Since then, we have grown to over 3 million members. In this session you’ll learn more about NEA’s legacy as a labor union and civil rights organization. History is not only a review of the past, but also an explanation of the present.