Aug 12, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2021
Statement from the Colorado Education Association (CEA) on 2021 Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) results
DENVER, CO – The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) released 2021 CMAS data today showing an overall decrease in both raw scores and participation. This statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“The results of this year’s CMAS data are not surprising considering the number of variables that students and educators have had to deal with since March 2020 while educating students in the midst of a global pandemic. We urge extreme caution in interpreting or drawing conclusions with this data as it does not tell a complete story of how students, educators or schools performed over the last year. We will need to look at a multitude of information and data points to get a full understanding of the 2020-2021 school year. We continue to applaud the tremendous efforts of students and educators who overcame extreme challenges in teaching and learning this past school year.
“We also believe that this is a wake up call and a continued plea for all public education stakeholders to come together to discuss and find solutions to underlying issues like the chronic underfunding of public education, the lack of mental health and social-emotional supports, and crumbling infrastructure and outdated materials.
“We need to prioritize our students and support our public schools’ ability to meet their needs, especially those who are the most vulnerable. Others often interpret lower scores in some schools as evidence that those schools are not doing a good job, but the fact of the matter is, schools are educating student populations that have greater educational challenges with access to minimal resources and supports. Federal stimulus funds can be used to address some of these issues and educators, those who actually work with students on a daily basis, should be at the forefront of these conversations. And while these dollars will help, they do not solve the long-term funding gaps we see on an annual basis. We look forward to the results of the upcoming accountability audit and using that data to spark conversations with other public education stakeholders on the way forward.”
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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Aug 11, 2021 | Legal Update
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Jul 21, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2021
CEA Statement on Updated Colorado COVID-19 School Guidance
DENVER, CO – On Tuesday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) released updated COVID-19 guidelines for schools for the 2021-22 school year. The following statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“It is our steadfast belief that the best way to educate students is through in-person instruction and our number one priority from day one of the pandemic has been to ensure that effective safety mitigation strategies are in place for students and educators to ensure safe and healthy working and learning conditions. While the CDPHE guidance recommends protocols to that end, it is now up to local county leaders to put those protocols and measures into place to help keep students, families, and education staff safe.
“It is our hope and expectation that when local county or school district leaders are crafting these mitigation protocols, they will seek the counsel of educators; the professionals who are with students all day, every day. Educators are on the front lines of this and their expertise is critical to any planning that will take place for the 2021-22 school year. We will continue to call on elected officials to provide every Colorado student and educator, no matter what zip code they live in, a safe and welcoming place to learn and work.”
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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Jun 22, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2021
Teachers Win Right to Switch Jobs Without Losing Protections
Colorado Supreme Court sides with teachers against school districts
DENVER – Today, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that school districts may not compel qualified teachers to waive portability of their non-probationary status as a condition of applying for a job with a new district.
“The court recognized that teachers with a proven track record of student achievement should be able to retain their non-probationary status when they’re hired in a new district,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.“It’s gratifying to receive the respect we’ve earned as the people who work hard every day to provide exceptional teaching and learning for all students in every neighborhood.”
The case – Poudre School District R-1 and Board of Education of Poudre School District R-1 v. Patricia Stanczyk and Poudre Education Association, 2021 Co 57 – concerned Poudre School District requiring applicants for teaching positions to waive their right to portability as a condition of submitting a job application. The Supreme Court held that this mandatory waiver violated the statutory requirement that school districts“shall” grant portability to qualified teachers who apply for it.
Colorado law, ¬ß 22-63-203.5, C.R.S., provides that teachers who have obtained non-probationary status, and who have two consecutive years of effective evaluation ratings, may“port” that status when they are hired by a different school district. To do so, they must provide the hiring district evidence of their student academic growth data and performance evaluations. In this event, the law provides, the hiring district“shall” grant them non-probationary status.
“While we are grateful for the Court’s ruling, it’s important for teachers to know that they must apply for portability because it isn’t automatic,” said Baca-Oehlert. “Local leaders are available to help CEA members with portability applications in their districts.”
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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Jun 20, 2021 | Blog
Born and raised in North Denver Ann Franco learned at an early age to never give up and always fight the good fight. Her parents were both leaders and role models: her father was the union president of the Denver Rio Grande Railroad and her mother was the president of the Board of Directors at the Northside Community Center in Denver. When she began her career in Denver Public Schools, it wasn’t immediately clear to Franco that she wanted to be a leader.
“Becoming a leader in our association wasn’t something I had planned on but something that I walked into,” said Franco, an elementary school teacher and Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) member who’s retiring after 31 years in the classroom. “In the mid 1990s DCTA was looking for a Building Representative for Del Pueblo Elementary and I met a woman named Becky Wissink who handed me a card and said, ‘Come to this meeting, it is only once a month.’”
Shortly after, another colleague, Leonard Fox, asked Franco to attend a meeting for Ethnic Minority Members, which resulted in going to a national Training. She was elected as the Ethnic Minority Director to the DCTA Board of Directors shortly thereafter and Franco continued to serve on the DCTA Board under 4 presidents.
“I am most grateful to Kim Ursetta who trusted my leadership skills and allowed me to lead our ethnic minority members to the next level,” said Franco. “I am also grateful to Henry Roman, Lawrence Garcia and Amie Baca and one of my proudest moments was when my efforts helped CEA meet the ethnic minority recruitment goal under my leadership for the first time in 17 years.”
“I always thought I was too young to retire, but with 31 years in the classroom it felt it was the best time for me to move on. I will miss my students and my co-workers the most but on days that I need a lift, I will just need to remember that I am a woman who made a difference in the classroom, my association and my community.”
Ann Franco, member of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, retired in May.
