My Turn
Washington County Title I School Liaison Ivan Santiago
As an education support professional (ESP), I have provided classroom support to some of our most vulnerable students. I have worked in the general education setting, in special education, and specialized, self- contained, and push-in programs. Currently, I am a school-family liaison. I am able to support learning in a different capacity, working hand in hand with students, their families, and community partners. I am part of a team that provides wraparound services and I work to provide tools to overcome barriers to receiving instruction.
This position has become instrumental in emphasizing parent involvement and achieving the expansive goals of a community school. Having seen firsthand the direct impact of our work in the lives of students and in our community, I feel a great sense of pride as an educator. Being able to work alongside some of the best teachers and staff in the county is why I choose to continue working in the public school system. Our students and their families are truly blessed to have such an amazing group of
professionals working with them and for them.
I became a member of my union on my first day at Washington County Public Schools over 10 years ago. At the time, I had no knowledge of the union or what it offered, but I knew the importance of organizing employees to protect and advocate for one another. Since then, I believe there has been some improvement in the county’s perception regarding the importance of ESPs’ role in ensuring quality instruction.
While we still have so much to accomplish, I feel that each year brings us a step closer to achieving fair wages and benefits, opportunities for professional development and advancement, adequate staffing, and more thanks to the union’s efforts. Endorsing and actively promoting our union’s ESP Bill of Rights is anecessary step for all ESP as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future failed to provide an ESP-specific plan to improve the jobs of thousands of support staff.
In our county, we now face additional obstacles from a newly elected board of education—a situation requiring our union to work even harder to lift up our many job titles and contributions. We know our value—buildings can’t function without us and teachers’ abilities to serve students would be severely limited without us. There has never been a better time to capitalize on our contributions and worth.