About Us

We are a union of dedicated Education Support Personnel (ESP) working for the school district in Sumter County, FL.

Our membership includes all full-time and part-time personnel in  the following positions: Title I Aide - Migrant Education Aide, PREP Aide, PREP Tutor, Head Custodian Plant Manager, Custodian, Custodian A,C, & l, Lunchroom Cashier, Clinical Aide, Media Aide, Secretary, Special Education Aides, Clerk, Compensatory Tutor, Compensatory Aide, Compensatory Education Aide, EMR Tutor, Migrant Tutor, Migrant Aide, Bookkeeper/Secretary, Maid, Chapter  I  Aide,  Chapter  I Tutor, Clerical, Guidance Aide, Bus Driver, Head Mechanic, Mechanic Maintenance Worker, Assistant Maintenance Chief, Machine Repair Technician, Property Records Technician, Press Operator Technician, Food Service  Technician,  Bookkeeper, Special Program Computer Aide, Attendance Aide/Liaison, Migrant Clerk, Special Programs-Home/School Liaison, Clerk Title I Aide, Vocational Aide, Lunchroom Manager, Lunchroom Worker, Lunchroom  General Worker. 

We serve as the designated collective bargaining agent and employee representative for an amazing and diverse group of education professionals who fill VITAL roles in our public schools. Our mission to ensure that employee working conditions provide for the dignity and respect of every worker and are supportive of student learning conditions in all Sumter County schools.

As a small ESP local, our members benefit greatly from our affiliations with the Florida Education Association (FEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), and the AFL-CIO. The power of our voice is multiplied by thousands through these affiliations, and our unifying message is amplified through the millions of members connected in these state and national unions. 

In spite of what may seem like a natural hierarchy, the state association and national associations do not dictate policy or operations of local governance. In fact, SCESP elects its own officers and executive board who make determinations about the priorities and operations of our local based on feedback from the membership. Moreover, through democratic processes, members of SCESP actually have a say in the priorities and operations of our state and national affiliates! In so many ways, our unions are built and the work is driven from the bottom up. And like any democracy, our unions run best when every stakeholder is actively engaged and participating.

Our state organization, the Florida Education Association, provides us with a network of local associations contending with many of the same issues we face here in Sumter County. Together we advocate for the policies and legislation at the state level that benefit all of our communities and the funding needed to fully support our neighborhood public schools. The FEA provides our local with direct support for member programs, communications, local leadership training and professional development. Through FEA, we have access to employment-related legal services and member discounts offered with Creative Benefits Partners. At the national level, NEA and AFT do much the same. 

You are encouraged to visit the websites of each of our affiliate organizations to learn more about the vision and mission that bring us all together. Be sure to explore all the many benefits and discount programs available through our affiliates as well!

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.