Professor of LGBTQ Studies. May 22nd is Education Support Professionals Day!! As educators, we know the crucial role played by the thousands of paraprofessionals, office workers, bus drivers, custodians and maintenance staff in our schools and/or Community Colleges. In fact, it would be difficult to imagine a school going for one day without ESPs. When we talk about strengthening our schools, we need to strengthen everyone who works within them. Along with recruiting and retaining quality teachers, we must recruit and retain quality education support professionals. To do that, it certainly means providing decent wages and benefits to the people who spend their days making sure our students are safe, well fed and learning.