The Legislature recognizes the need to provide classroom teachers and other certificated personnel with more time to teach and to provide the means for them to utilize their professional knowledge and skills more effectively in the educational programs of the public schools. It is the intent of the Legislature to authorize the employment of instructional aides in order that classroom teachers and other certificated personnel may draw upon the services of such aides to assist them in ways determined to be useful in improving the quality of educational opportunities for pupils.