Clerical Services

ESP: Equal and Essential Partners in Education

About Us and Our Work

• 72% of us work in school buildings, and 21% work in central office and administration buildings.
  
• 32% work at the preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school level; 15% in junior high schools; 23% in high schools; and the others for multiple levels.
  
• 25% of us work with special education students. 37% have been asked to give medications to students.
  
• 91% of us work full time. On average, we work 11 months a year.
  
• 98% of us are female. 84% of us are married.
  
• Our average age is 49.
  
• 50% of us live in a large city or the suburb.
  
• 70% of us have at least some college.
  
• On average, we have been NEA ESP members for 9.8 years.

We are experienced: 12.4 years is the average we have been working in our field. We have been with our current employers 11.5 years.

We are committed: 88% of us currently plan to stay in the ESP field, and 65% plan to stay in our jobs until we retire.

We're the second largest ESP job group: within NEA's nine K-12 ESP job groups, we are the second largest, making up 17% of the ESP membership. With approximately 440,000 clerical services ESPs working in the nation's K-12 public schools, we are also the second largest, making up 20% of the U.S. K-12 ESP work force.

We live in our school districts: 76% of us live in the school districts where we work, and where we have lived an average of 28 years.

We are active in our communities: 78% of us volunteer in community organizations. 52% are involved in volunteer activities with children.

Our Workplace Conditions and Issues

Our jobs need to be better defined. For those of us who have a job description, 48% feel it does not accurately describe the amount of work we do, and 20% feel it does not accurately describe the kind of work we do. 13% have no written job descriptions. 61% are often or sometimes asked to perform duties outside of our job descriptions.

We interact closely with parents and the public, often in situations of stress, conflict, or crisis. We also supervise students, including student workers and students who are being disciplined through office detention. We sometimes work with students who are ill or have special needs.

Many of us want more opportunities for professional development and in-service training. We need training with new computers and software in order to meet our ever-changing job expectations. We enjoy our freedom to decide how to do our jobs and the personal fulfillment we get from our work. We'd like better wages and benefits and more chances for promotion and advancement.

How Can We Make Public Schools Great for Every Child? Clerical Services Members Speak Out:

"Provide customer service with courteous and helpful answers to questions from the public. ESPs can be the first and most lasting impression many will have about a school and its district"

"ESPs are at the front lines of our school system. They are the first to greet, help, and support parents and students. They must take this responsibility very seriously."

"We are the one link that brings it all together because we live in the community, attend the local churches, and participate in and often lead community activities. Our children attend the schools. We are the purchasers of services and products of the local merchants."

Clerical Services ESPs: Who We Are

• Secretaries and Stenographers
• Typists and Word Processors
• Administrative and Office Assistants
• Bookkeepers and Accounting and Financial Assistants
• Data Entry, Statistical, Payroll, File, General Office, and Computer Workers
• Registration, Records, and Attendance Technicians
• Receptionists and Telephone Operators
• Couriers
• Nonmanagerial Supervisors