Meet Essex County ESP of the Year Lou Ann LoBasso
By Kathryn Coulibaly
Lou Ann LoBasso knew she was going to succeed in her new position working with a non-verbal student at Fairfield Elementary School when she literally flipped head over heels.
Filling in for the student’s permanent aide as a substitute, LoBasso joined the student and his class outside in the school garden. She failed to see a planter behind her and flipped over backwards. The student looked down at her and asked, “Are you some kind of crazy?” They both started laughing and he helped her up.
LoBasso didn’t intend to work in public education, but after helping to care for a nephew with special needs, she was encouraged to apply for a job in the local public schools. She began working as an office aide and immediately gravitated to students with special needs.
During her first cafeteria duty, she noticed a student laying across the lunch table. She approached him and imitated his stance on the lunch table before asking, “What are we doing?” The student responded to her, amazing the principal who told her later that the student didn’t speak to anyone. When the student’s aide was out, the principal asked her to fill in, leading to the infamous day in the garden.
LoBasso kept her balance with the district and eventually became the president of the Fairfield Education Association, an all-inclusive local association of teachers, educational support professionals and other certificated staff. LoBasso was the first educational support professional to be president.
“I was very knowledgeable about union issues,” LoBasso says. “My father was a union leader. I’ve been reading contracts since I was 15 years old. I had a good understanding of things and good relationships with administration. I could talk to them when they were in violation of the contract, and we could work things out.”
LoBasso’s time in Fairfield ended when her husband got sick and the family needed benefits, which Fairfield didn’t provide.
“I didn’t want to leave the district, but I ended up in Bloomfield working as a secretary, and I’m very happy here, too,” LoBasso says. “The staff and administration are fantastic.”
LoBasso continues to be a strong union leader. She is involved at the local, county and state level. She serves as the legislative representative of the Bloomfield Education Secretary’s Association and works closely with the other associations in the district.
At the county level, she is the chairperson for the quad overnight conference, which includes Essex, Union, Bergen and Passaic.
“I think it’s very important for union members to be involved at the county level,” LoBasso says. “When you operate in your local association, it’s only one piece of the puzzle, but when you get involved in the county level, you get to know what’s going on in other districts. We are like a family. It’s great to attend together.”
LoBasso encourages members to be involved in their union regardless of their political affiliation.
“Your political affiliation does not matter,” LoBasso stresses. “We should all be fighting for the collective good. Right now, we are under attack. We have to protect our pensions and our profession at every level. It affects all of us, regardless of job description.”
LoBasso was flattered and humbled to be named the 2025-26 Essex County ESP of the Year. She emphasizes that every job in a school district is important.
“You can’t run your office without educational support professionals. You can’t run your building. You can’t run your classrooms. Every single person employed by a school district is important, from maintenance to buildings and grounds to office aides. Everybody has an important role to play.
Kathryn Coulibaly writes the monthly ESP column. She is an associate director in the Communications Divison.