The following message is from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo:

Honoring Oregon's Classified Employees
By Susan Castillo

There is excellent work going on in schools across Oregon, work that would not be possible without our thousands of classified employees. "Schools work and students learn with classified employees on the job" is this year's theme for Oregon Classified Employees Week, which is March 1st - 5th.

That's exactly right. Without our classified employees, our schools couldn't even open, much less operate. They are the backbone of our system, creating the conditions that help students to achieve their very best.

The Oregon School Employees Association represents more than 20,000 classified staff across our state --- educational assistants, office staffers, bus drivers, janitors, accountants and nurses, just to name a few of the jobs. The Oregon Education Association represents over 6,300 Educational Support Professionals (ESPs) covering paraeducators, instructional assistants, transportation, administrative assistants, secretaries, food service, school nurses, technicians, and custodians.

These are the people who greet students and visitors at the office, who work as assistants in classrooms to make sure that every child's needs are met, who bandage knees scraped on the playground, who prepare and serve nutritious meals to keep kids healthy and growing, who make sure that the school building and grounds reflect a school community's sense of pride.

Often, they are the first to arrive at school and the last to leave. Most of all, they care. They care about kids and they take pride in their schools. They are vital partners in our shared educational mission.

Classified employees are the unsung heroes of our school system. This coming week, I hope all of us -- parents, students, teachers, administrators -- take the time to show our appreciation to the classified staff at our schools. I hope that sense of respect and gratitude for the work they do every day can extend throughout the year. They have certainly earned the recognition.

On behalf of Oregon's education community, I want to thank all our classified employees for the work they do every day to make sure our schools run smoothly. We couldn't get the job done without you.