Dec 10, 2021 | Blog
Growing up in Morrison, Sydney Slifka didn’t always know that she wanted to be a teacher. It wasn’t until she took an “Intro to Teaching” class in college that she knew where she wanted to go with her professional life.
“I knew that I wanted a career that was different every day and involved working with people,” said Slifka. “While figuring out my options, I took that class, which landed me in a first grade classroom and I fell in love with the students. Since then, I’ve found my calling to working with students in highly impacted urban schools.”
Sydney’s favorite part about her job is building a community within my classroom. She relishes in seeing kids’ smiling facing come in the door each day, excited to learn, and creating a safe space for them to be who they are. For Sydney, each and every day is a new adventure, and she’s always looking for ways to spark the excitement/desire for learning within each of her students.
Sydney joined the union to be able to have a voice for herself and her colleagues. Sydney believes the union brings strength in numbers and allows us to better advocate for our rights as educators and fight for the schools that our students deserve.
When she’s not being a superhero to her students and an inspiration to her union colleagues, Sydney loves to travel. She’s been to over 20 countries, usually on solo trips, hostel style. She loves to learn about new cultures, see history and art, and to meet people along the way. She’s also into all of the Colorado things: skiing, snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, in addition to making jewelry and cooking.
Sydney, a product of the Jefferson County Public Schools system herself, is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver and earned a Masters in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in Gifted Education from the University of Denver.
Sydney Slifka is an elementary school teacher and high school volleyball coach in Jefferson County and a proud member of the Jefferson County Education Association.
Dec 10, 2021 | Blog
The step to finding and activating your voice is never an easy one but that’s what the brave educators of the New America School (NAS) did on Wed., Oct. 20 when a majority of educators of the charter network presented a petition to the New America Board seeking recognition of their union. In the petition, the educators are asking to go to the bargaining table to discuss solutions to declining student achievement, high educator turnover and a negative school culture where educator voice is essentially muted.
“Our students deserve a school where they know that their teachers will return consistently but unfortunately, the current environment at NAS has led to massive staff changes every single year,” said Collette Simkins, New America School art and drama teacher. “The teaching staff in the NAS system believe that it is time for a change. We need a seat at the table. Teachers leave because decisions are made about our jobs without any meaningful input from us. We want to be included in decisions about our schools, our students, and our jobs.”
“At the end of the day, we all just want what’s best for our students,” said Elaina King, social studies teacher and instructional coach. “We want recognition so that we can best serve our diverse student population. All kids, no matter their backgrounds need teachers who are there for them through thick and thin.”
Educators are concerned that their expertise and input is often ignored by administration, which has led to a decline in student achievement. Because of the exodus of educators from all three campuses, remaining educators are forced to take on more. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the underlying issues at the New America School.
This is the first known attempt at forming a union in any charter school in Colorado history; a history that includes the state being the national blue print for school choice. Charter schools in Colorado are allowed to waive out of 19 state laws, including laws that impact educator working conditions.
“We proudly stand with the New America School educators,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and CEA president. “These brave educators are standing up and doing what’s right for their students and their school and this is nothing short of heroic. The 39,000 members of the CEA stand in solidarity with the educators of NAS and pledge to support in any way we can to help them achieve recognition.”
As of the publication date of this magazine, there has not been a decision or recognition by the New America Board in response to the petition.
The New America School is composed of three campuses: Lakewood, Aurora, and Thornton. Each campus was authorized by Jefferson County Public Schools, the Colorado Charter School Institute, and Adams 12 School District, respectively. There are 30 educators across all three campuses.
Dec 10, 2021 | Blog
Autumn Rivera, a sixth-grade science teacher at Glenwood Springs Middle School in the Roaring Fork School District was named 2022 Colorado Teacher of the year on Oct. 22. The surprise announcement came at a limited capacity, COVID-19-counscious ceremony in Glenwood Springs.
Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association, attended the ceremony to congratulate Rivera, who is a member of the Roaring Fork Community Education Association.
“Autumn’s selection as the 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year is a reflection of who she is and what she means to her students and her community,” said Baca-Oehlert. “She is a passionate educator who helps her students realize their self-worth and potential. Autumn wants to ensure that her students, no matter where they come from, realize that change begins with them.”
Rivera believes that there are many issues in public education that need addressing but one, in particular, is something that we need to tackle in order to make public education exceptional for all students.
“Providing adequate funding, increasing social and emotional support, and supporting teachers are all big issues that need to be solved before we can fully move forward,” said Rivera. “However, the major issue I see that needs to be addressed as soon as possible is equity in education. The past year my school’s Instructional Leadership Team, of which I am a member, tasked our staff to reflect on how we, as teachers, address unconscious bias in our school.”
It was a very difficult year to begin these conversations, but we felt it was crucial, now more than ever, to push forward,” said Rivera. “Of course our work is not complete and, as a leadership team, we decided to continue with this goal for the upcoming school year.”
During her more than sixteen years as an educator, she has worked with students from elementary to postgraduate levels. She is an adjunct professor at Colorado Mountain College in the Education Department. She holds both a Bachelors of Arts in Biology and a Masters of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science from Colorado College; and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.In her very limited free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, volunteering, and spending quality time with people she loves.
Rivera, the seventh consecutive CEA member to be named Colorado Teacher of the Year, will compete for the National Teacher of the Year Award and will be honored with other state Teachers of the Year at a White House ceremony next year.
The Colorado Education Association (CEA) is a longtime sponsor of the Colorado Teacher of the Year Award, and will provide Rivera with a stipend to travel in her new role and to engage in networking opportunities with past Colorado Teachers of the Year.
Nov 15, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2021
American Education Week 2021
Honoring Colorado Educators in challenging times
DENVER – This week, Nov. 15 – 19, is American Education Week where we honor the team of people who work in our state’s public schools, everyone from the bus driver and classroom teacher to the cafeteria worker, administrative staff, and countless others. It is also a time to honor the families of public school students for their partnership in making sure Colorado students have exceptional public schools.
“The public education experience really is a team effort,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association. “Our educators, administrative staff, support staff and parents work in concert to always give the best to our students so that they can be successful.”
This year’s version of American Education Week is marred by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, educator shortages and burnout and a hyper-political climate, which places Colorado educators directly in the middle of some very challenging times.
“This is about as tough a time for educators as we’ve ever seen,” said Baca-Oehlert. “It is great to celebrate one week out of the year, but we must come together to find solutions to the problems facing educators, students and public education that affect them every day of the year.”
The American Education Week schedule is as follows:
- Monday – Kick Off Day
Across the country, schools will celebrate excellence in education by hosting kickoff events and activities.
- Tuesday – Family Day
On this day, schools across the nation invite parents into the classroom to experience what the day is like for their child.
- Wednesday – Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day
On Wednesday we’ll honor ESPs, who go well beyond anything we have seen before as they work to meet the needs of our school communities in the midst of a pandemic, like ensuring students were fed though schools were closed.
- Thursday – Educator for a Day
This year, having community members come into the classroom is not an option for many schools as they implement their distance learning or building reopening plans.
- Friday – Substitute Educators Day
Substitute educators play a vital role in the maintenance and continuity of daily education and we honor their willingness to help classrooms continue to function.
“Whether it’s recognizing every educators’ right to have a voice on the job, tackling Colorado’s school funding issues, or providing access to mental health resources, it’s clear there’s a lot our legislators and decision makers can do to really show their support of our educators, students, and public schools,” said Baca-Oehlert.
About American Education Week
The National Education Association was one of the creators and original sponsors of American Education Week.
Distressed that 25 percent of the country’s World War I draftees were illiterate and 9 percent were physically unfit, representatives of the NEA and the American Legion met in 1919 to seek ways to generate public support for education.
The conventions of both organizations subsequently adopted resolutions of support for a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of education. In 1921, the NEA Representative Assembly in Des Moines, Iowa, called for a designation of one week each year to spotlight education. In its resolution, the NEA called for: “An educational week … observed in all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs.”
The first observance of American Education Week occurred December 4-10, 1921, with the NEA and American Legion as the cosponsors. A year later, the then U.S. Office of Education joined the effort as a cosponsor, and the PTA followed in 1938.
Other co-sponsors are the U.S. Department of Education and national organizations including the National PTA, the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the American Association of School Administrators, the National School Boards Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Counselor Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National School Public Relations Association, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
American Education Week is always celebrated the week prior to the week of Thanksgiving.
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is the voice of 39,000 educators, working together in a strong union to ensure all students get the exceptional public schools they deserve, in every neighborhood across the state. As Colorado’s largest labor union, CEA works collectively with all education stakeholders to ensure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
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Nov 2, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2021
Election 2021: Public Education WINS!
Voters Choose Educators and Public Education
DENVER – Tonight, faced with decisions over local mill levy and bond races, statewide ballot measures, and politically charged school board races, voters overwhelmingly chose educators and public education. The votes cast tonight will have long lasting effects on Colorado students, educators and public education across the state.
“Our students have been severely and chronically underfunded to the tune of $10 billion over the last 10 years,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association. “We are at a critical point in time where the chronic underfunding and crisis-level educator shortages are having a real and damaging effect on students, educators and school districts all across the state.”
When it comes to school board elections, this was a year unlike any other in recent memory. While there were a lot of candidates who ran on platforms that were student, education, and community focused, there were also the candidates, propped up by dark money funded by large corporations and the ultra wealthy, whose focus was on one or two hyperly divisive political issues, while genuinely not caring about actual education policy solutions that will benefit students, their families and educators. We proudly stand with pro-public education candidates, celebrate their victories tonight and look forward to working with them at the local level to give students and educators the resources they need to be successful.
In many districts throughout the state, voters sent a clear message, standing with educators and valuing students and public education by electing candidates recommended by the professional educators in their communities. After early returns, voters stood with educators all across the state from Jefferson County to Eagle County to Fort Collins to Cherry Creek and all the way to Durango, Steamboat and Summit County. Many races have yet to be called but we anticipate some more big wins in the next couple of days.
Despite one of the strongest economies in the nation, our schools are still struggling to meet the needs of students due to the chronic underfunding of our public schools, so Colorado voters were asked to decide on more than $1.5 billion worth of local mill levy and bond measures across the state. After early returns, we congratulate the following communities for passing Local Mill Levy and Bond races across Colorado: Mesa Valley Bond 4B, Ridgway Bond 4B, Ridgway Mill 4A, Roaring Fork Mill 5B. The money invested by voters into local school districts tonight will help improve the academic lives of students and educators in those communities. We anxiously await the results of more races tomorrow.
CEA opposed Proposition 120, as property taxes are the first source of funding for public schools in Colorado. Any reduction of property taxes forces the state to backfill that lost revenue and with over a half billion dollar deficit in public education funding this would have been yet another blow to Colorado public schools.
Tonight the voters soundly rejected Proposition 120, the annual ballot measure to ensure the wealthiest Coloradans get significant tax breaks while the rest of us enjoy negligible tax breaks at the expense of public services like fire and police protection and public education. We are appreciative that the voters saw through this scheme to rig the system for the wealthiest few and understand that our property taxes fund critical services in our communities.
Despite these local measures, with some passing and others failing, elections like these continue to raise a red flag that Colorado does not do enough to provide students, educators, and school districts the resources to provide exceptional public schools no matter where they live. State legislators have the opportunity this January to find creative and sustainable ways to improve public education funding, especially in light of Gov. Polis’s budget proposal, which prioritizes K-12 funding.
“We must fully fund our schools so that our students…no matter the color of their skin, or where they live, or how much money their parents make…can have an exceptional neighborhood public school to attend,” said Baca-Oehlert. “We are extremely proud of our members’ efforts during this election and for the work they do every day. No matter the outcome of the election, we remain committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunities afforded them to be successful in our public schools.”
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is the voice of 39,000 educators, working together in a strong union to ensure all students get the exceptional public schools they deserve, in every neighborhood across the state. As Colorado’s largest labor union, CEA works collectively with all education stakeholders to ensure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
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Sydney’s favorite part about her job is building a community within my classroom. She relishes in seeing kids’ smiling facing come in the door each day, excited to learn, and creating a safe space for them to be who they are. For Sydney, each and every day is a new adventure, and she’s always looking for ways to spark the excitement/desire for learning within each of her students.
