There are many types of jobs under the heading education support professionals (ESPs): paraeducators, technical service workers, skilled trade workers, and health workers. Making up about one third of the public education workforce from early education through college, ESPs not only ensure that schools run smoothly, they also play a role in supporting the whole child. Schools are facing major challenges: staff shortages, student trauma, opportunity gaps, and students' sense of disconnection from their schools. ESPs are an untapped resource for addressing these challenges. They should be included in whole-child policies and practices designed to improve students' educational experiences, and state boards are in a position to champion them as partners. This policy update discusses opportunities for recognition and support of ESPs and questions state boards can ask to examine working conditions ESPs face and opportunities for making better use of their skills and capacity.