GESSA STEM Program
Staff Training for Effective Management (STEM) is a professional development program designed for educational support personnel. The STEM program is sponsored by the Texas Educational Support Staff Association, Inc. (TESA). The program was developed in cooperation with the Texas Education Agency, Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association, Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, Texas Public Community/Junior College Association, University of Texas, and other professional educational associations. The original program was funded through an ECIA, Chapter 2, Section 577 grant.
Program Structure STEM is a three-phase program designed to enhance technical and job-specific skills for educational support personnel. Sessions are hosted by local school districts, colleges, and educational service centers. Certificates of attendance are presented at the end of each STEM session. The TESA Central Office cannot maintain STEM records for nonmembers. While the program is designed to establish a firm foundation of information and to continue to build on that foundation, participants may take the classes in any order and progress toward Certified Educational Office Professional (CEOP) certification.
GISD compensates full-time paraprofessionals who attain their CEOP certification with a stipend of $600 a year (paid monthly), beginning the first check of the next contract year, and for each subsequent year they meet recertification requirements. For more information go to the TESA website and click on “Staff Training for Effective Management”, or contact the current GESSA STEM representative.
Texas Educational Support Staff Association (TESA) Website www.tesatexas.org
National Association of Educational Office Professionals (NAEOP) website www.naeop.org