The opportunity to learn from a mentor, someone who has walked in your shoes professionally, shouldn’t be a matter of luck for educators who want to become union leaders, but it often is. Sometimes they get fortunate and have a colleague who is committed to their growth.
A member-driven program for Education Support Professionals, supported by the MTA, is taking the chance out of those opportunities and creating relationships that build leadership and organizing skills, which are improving contract outcomes for members.
The ESP Leadership Mentoring Program, a member initiative using an NEA grant, recently graduated its first class of 10 mentors and mentees. The year-long, weekend program pairs emerging ESP leaders with veteran counterparts in a one-on-one match, allowing them to share professional insights into their work and build union skills.
Led by Amy Morin, co-president of the Lexington Education Association, and a veteran ESP leader, the program involves once-a-month in-person meetings. Participants say they gain an immediate support system and learn that they aren’t alone in whatever challenges they face. Over the course of the program, mentees learn about union organizing strategies, negotiating tactics and how to create a professional network for advocacy. They are showing up for actions in locals throughout the state, as part of a growing network of ESP leaders.
The mentoring program builds on the ESP leadership weekend program that started several years ago as a pilot. It operates under a three-year, $407,000 NEA grant, which covers stipends for the ESP mentors and mentees, training materials, conference funding and food. Participants have attended several professional events, including the 2024 Labor Notes Conference and the NEA and MTA ESP conferences. ESPs in preK-12 and higher education are participating.
Kim Foley, who worked previously as an ESP in Wilmington, and is now pursuing a job in another district, recently completed the program as mentee. She found support in the program for organizing efforts, which she used as part of the contract action team for her local. She learned about what other locals had tried, and what they learned from their experiences.
“I’ll reach out to two people, and get those people to join our group, and have them talk to two people, and just kind of spread the word that if we stand as one, we stand a better chance. If 100 of us are out there, it’s better than just 10 of us.”
Foley, who is completing a master’s degree, said she’s seen the culture change just in the past few years, where ESPs travel to help other locals engaged in actions for stronger contracts. “If there’s a school district that’s fighting, others are showing up. I’m from Burlington, or I’m from Waltham, and I’ve come to stand with you and support you. That’s what we were doing as well. Because if you go to support them; they’ll show up to support you.”
Amy LeBlanc, a paraprofessional with the Pentucket local, started getting more involved with union work two years ago when she attended her first MTA ESP conference. She signed up as a mentee for the Leadership Mentoring Program when she saw that Morin was the facilitator. “Seeing what she does as the president of her local gave me the goal of becoming the co-president of my local,” LeBlanc said. “Joining on with the mentorship program gave me that goal.”
One of the goals of the program is encouraging ESP leaders to identify emerging leaders and become mentors themselves.
LeBlanc ran for local co-president, and although she didn’t win, she isn’t deterred. She enjoyed getting her name out there and is pursuing more development and leadership opportunities, including becoming a Summer Member Organizer for the MTA. She recently presented a seminar at the MTA Summer Conference on how to build an ESP Contract Action Team.
On a recent evening, LeBlanc thought nothing of driving from her home in the North Shore to Bristol County, to join a forum organized by the local at Bristol-Plymouth. One of her fellow mentees had invited everyone to join in. Union work has become a large part of her identity, LeBlanc said. “I love that it’s a community. I feel a part of it. It feels like a family.”
ESPs in preK-16 who are interested in applying for the ESP leadership weekends program are encouraged to submit a short, online form. The application for FY2024-2025 is Sept. 30.
The ESP Leadership Mentoring program application for FY2025-2026 is also available for submission.
