Representation for classified staff increased this week when OSEA Zone I Director Misty Talerico joined Oregon’s Educator Advancement Council (EAC).
The EAC is tasked with assessing and prioritizing needs for services and resources to support Oregon’s educators – but prior to this year, classified didn’t have a seat at the table. After 85 years as a union of education professionals in the state of Oregon, OSEA won the right to classified representation on the EAC and the remaining key education policy boards or commissions during the 2023 legislative session.
Currently, the term “educator” refers exclusively to teachers in state law. Classified representation on the EAC acknowledges the important role that we, as education professionals, play in the daily lives of the students we support and sets the precedent that classified should be included in all future education policy conversations.
The EAC is made up of 21 directors including teachers in elementary, middle and high schools, superintendents, a school board member, state education agency representatives and now, professional classified staff.
“I’m excited to bring awareness to classified as educators,” Talerico said. “We’re often the first in and the last out and our students look to us for guidance… To have that perspective as a classified, hearing from our members, I’m excited to be able to be that voice with the other directors.”
Talerico sees a lot of overlap between what the EAC works on – supporting educators from early childhood through post-secondary – and what OSEA does, representing and supporting classified education professionals throughout the education spectrum.
She said she wants to see some of the good work the EAC is already doing expanded to classified.
“There’s an amazing mentorship program,” she said, adding that so far it’s been for new teachers. She’s hopeful that it can be extended to classified staff. She feels some of the high turnover rate in some classified positions could be prevented by good mentorship and better training.
Advocating for educator training is another one of the roles of the EAC and Talerico said she’s interested in seeing better and more consistent training opportunities for classified staff.
“With better training, we can do an even better job and be even more student-focused,” she said.
OSEA members and staff advocated in committees and legislative meetings for classified employees to have representation on the key education boards and commissions. We won with the enactment of House Bill (HB) 3383. Classified staff will also be guaranteed representation on the State Board of Education, the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) and the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB), but each of those appointments will require approval during the 2024 February legislative session.