Aug 11, 2023 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2023
Woodland Park School District, Board of Education Sued on Behalf of Educators’ Constitutional Rights
DENVER – The Colorado Education Association (CEA) and the Woodland Park Education Association’s (WPEA) members are united in our collective mission to create the best public schools for our students. Educators must be able to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech as public citizens, in order to advocate for their working conditions, which are our students’ learning conditions.
Beginning in February of this year, the Woodland Park School District (WPSD) and the Woodland Park Board of Education (WPBE) adopted policies that chilled educators’ right to speak out as private citizens on matters of public concern, and compelled educator membership in political organizations.
Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the CEA said: “Woodland Park educators work hard every day to ensure that their schools are welcoming places where their students can learn and thrive. And for their efforts they’ve been rewarded by their school district and board with a gag order, with removal of critical services for their students, and with constant disrespect for their professional expertise.”
She continued, “If it seems that Woodland Park has been in the press an inordinate amount of times for such a small town, you can place the blame squarely on the WPSD and WPBE. They are intent on politicizing all aspects of Woodland Park’s public education system, and will stop at nothing to demoralize their public school educators and negatively impact their students’ learning environments.”
Today, the CEA and the WPEA have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, against the school board and district, to rectify some of these wrongs. Specifically, the Complaint requests that the court:
- Remove the KDDA policy that punishes school-based employees if they speak publicly as private citizens about matters of public concern regarding the school district
- Declare that Woodland Park School Districts’ employees have a constitutional right to make statements and social media posts about their employment as private citizens on matters of public concern
- Declare that no employee who makes statements about their employment as private citizens on matters of public concern can be disciplined, terminated or retaliated against
- Declare Policy KDDA as null and void for violating the Colorado Open Meetings law
- Declare that attempting to compel members to join PACE is unconstitutional and an unlawful use of taxpayer money
- Prohibit the School District from forcing school-based educators to be members of PACE
Nate Owen, President of the Woodland Park Education Association, is a High School Math and Science teacher in Woodland Park, and is a named Plaintiff in this lawsuit. Customarily he would speak to members of the press to offer his perspective as to the necessity and importance of this lawsuit. However, due to the previously mentioned KDDA policy, Mr. Owen is unable to publicly comment on the Woodland Park educators’ working conditions due to credible fear of retaliation or termination.
Woodland Park is brimming with talented and motivated educators just like Mr. Owen, who are driven to pursue a career in education to give their students a welcoming and inclusive space in which to learn and thrive. But the school board and district continue to focus their efforts on dividing the community, undermining their schools, and depriving educators of their constitutional rights. As a result, 35% of district-wide staff have left their employment in just the last year.*
No matter their zip code, household income, or ethnicity, all students deserve a welcoming, inclusive, and honest public school. In pursuit of this, and the very best learning conditions for our students and working conditions for our educators, members of the Colorado Education Association and the Woodland Park Education Association will continue to fight for the rights of all students and educators.
*G, Matt. “WPSD Staff Turnover after the ’22-23 School Year.” Support Woodland Park Schools, 29 July 2023, supportwpschools.com/2023/07/wpsd-staff-turnover-after-the-22-23-school-year/.
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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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Jul 19, 2023 | Press
Each year the Colorado Education Association honors the legislators who have centered educators and students in the legislation they pursued. This year’s 2023 class of Public Education Champions prioritized putting students first; addressed the challenges we, as educators are facing; and emphasized CEA’s pillars of investment, respect, safety and housing. These advancements were made thanks in no small part to the fierce advocacy and collaboration of the CEA’s nearly 39,000 members. During the 2022-23 session, our state made incredible gains in educators’ priorities and core areas of concern.
“Historic legislative wins such as a $180 million buydown of the Budget Stabilization Factor, $30 million for rural schools, a $1,018 increase in per pupil spending, the largest increase in educator and public workers rights in a decade, solutions to the teacher shortage – none of these would have been possible without the stewardship of our public education champions,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the CEA.
TOP OF CLASS
We’re thrilled to honor six of our legislators with the Top of Class Public Education Champion designation. These legislators went above and beyond by listening to our members’ needs and finding problem-solving legislation to address them. Representative Eliza Hamrick, Representative Meghan Lukens, Senator Janice Marchman, Senator Chris Kolker, Representative Javier Mabrey, and Senator Rachel Zenzinger each stood out as champions across our legislative priorities of investment, respect, safety and housing.
INVESTMENT
Colorado’s future depends on enacting a long-term, systemic fix which will provide additional revenue sources for our public school system. The only way to ensure that we have the education system worthy of our students and educators is to dedicate ourselves to a sustainable long-term investment. These legislators listened to our members and prioritized investing in public education. By pushing a $180 million B.S. Factor buydown, ensuring that Colorado keeps its commitments to public education, and advocating for other basic needs of educators such as housing and PERA investment, these legislators made a huge difference for our members. We are proud to recognize Speaker of the House Representative Julie McCluskie, Representative Shannon Bird, Senator Janet Buckner, Senator Chris Hansen, Representative Cathy Kipp, Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, and Representative Barbara McLachlan for their hard work.
RESPECT
Respecting our educators as professional experts in our field means more than just paying a living wage. It means centering our voices and expertise in legislation that affects our work. CEA would like to honor the legislators who centered educators in the legislation they pursued. We’re grateful for the leadership of the bill sponsors of SB 23-111 (which instituted the largest increase in educator and public workers rights in a decade) and the sponsors of HB 23-1064 Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (which was an important win in the fight to combat statewide teacher shortages). Colorado legislators who prioritized respect for our educators include: Senator James Coleman, Senator Robert Rodriguez, Representative Brianna Titone, Representative Steven Woodrow, and Representative Mary Young.
SAFETY
Our schools—their successes and their challenges—are often a reflection of the issues our communities are wrestling with. This is especially obvious with our schools’ ongoing struggle to ensure the safety of all those who work and learn within them each day. It’s time we listen to educators who are at the center of this issue, and live with its complexities and repercussions. CEA would like to honor the following legislators for all their work to make schools and society safer, increase mental health resources, stand up to the gun lobby, and overcome obstruction. Colorado legislators who prioritized our schools’ safety include: Senate President Senator Steve Fenberg, Representative Jennifer Bacon, Senator Jeff Bridges, Representative Monica Duran, Representative Elisabeth Epps, and Senator Rhonda Fields.
HOUSING
Housing accessibility is a top concern for Colorado residents, and a lack of affordable housing disproportionately affects educators. This is a crisis and it must be treated as such. When educators can’t live in the communities where they work and teach, it is our students who lose out on dedicated teachers who will support their academic, personal, social, and physical growth. This legislative session saw bold potential fixes introduced to address Colorado’s affordable housing crisis – such as SB23-213 Land Use, HB23-1115 Repeal Prohibition Local Residential Rent Control, and HB23-1171 Just Cause Requirement Eviction of Residential Tenant. Unfortunately none of these groundbreaking pieces of legislation moved forward, but CEA nonetheless honors the groundbreaking work of its sponsors, including: Senator Julie Gonzales, Representative Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Representative Iman Jodeh, Senator Dominick Moreno, Senator Tom Sullivan, and Representative Elizabeth Velasco.
For more information on all of our Public Education Legislative Champions, please visit our website >>
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For more information on the Colorado Education Association’s Legislative Agenda:
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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.
Jun 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
This Sunday, alongside community partners like ONE Colorado and the Center on Colfax, approximately 100 Colorado educators and their family and friends joined the Denver PrideFest Parade to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community.
As representatives of nearly 39,000 Colorado educators, the Colorado Education Association was honored to participate in the city’s annual celebration with its own school bus themed float and the celebratation of inclusive schools and public education.
Celebrations such as these are particularly important after a year of heightened, politically-motivated attacks and hate crimes against our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender neighbors and colleagues. The CEA has found that, due in no small part to this heightened atmosphere of hatred, our fellow educators often find themselves uncomfortable with sharing their own identities at school. According to a study conducted in 2022, 85% of self-identified LGBTQ+ educators do not feel safe being out in their workplace.
“We must do everything within our power to create public schools that are inclusive, welcoming, and safe for all of our colleagues and students,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the CEA. “Consider the implications of an environment where an adult educator feels unsafe to be fully themselves – it’s unlikely that our young students feel safe to be themselves, to learn and grow, in that same environment.”
As part of our efforts to foster inclusion in our schools, CEA member educators championed the introduction of new statewide Social Studies standards by the Colorado State Board last fall, which were successfully adopted. These new, inclusive standards set Colorado apart as one of the first states to introduce a proactively inclusive and honest curriculum.
“As educators, one of the most important things we can do is make our students feel welcomed and accepted exactly as they are. We are committed to creating educational spaces that are inclusive and offer students an environment where they can learn and grow without fear or intimidation,” said Baca-Oehlert.
As participants in Denver’s PrideFest, we were proud to walk alongside so many of our community members who lead the way towards a better, more inclusive future for all of our students, educators, and neighbors.
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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.
Follow CEA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
May 9, 2023 | Press
CONTACT
Lauren Stephenson
LStephenson@coloradoea.org
(303) 968-5571
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2023
Colorado Educators Celebrate Historic, Momentous Legislative Session
DENVER – This Monday evening, the Colorado legislature ended an historic legislative session for educators, students, and public schools. Thanks in no small part to the fierce advocacy of the Colorado Education Association’s 39,000 members, our state made incredible gains in educators’ priorities and core areas of concern including:
Investment
- Increased funding through the School Finance Act (SB 23-287)
- $180 million buydown of the Budget Stabilization Factor
- $30 million for rural schools
- $1,018 increase in per-pupil spending, a 10.6% increase
- $40 million additional funding for Special Education (SB 23-099)
- Reduction of property taxes (SB23-303)
- Increased the supply of affordable housing (HB 23-1304, HB 23-1255, SB 23-035)
- Additional investment in PERA (SB 23-056)
Respect
- The largest increase in educator and public workers rights in a decade (SB 23-111)
- Solutions to the teacher shortage (HB 23-1064, HB 23-1001, HB 23-1212, SB 23-087)
- Modernizing the Accountability System (HB 23-1241)
Safety
- Educator inclusion as reporters in the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill (SB 23-170)
- Passage of four additional common sense gun bills (SB 23-168, SB 23-169, SB 23-279, HB 23-1219)
- Establishment of the Office of School Safety, including grant funding for any school that wishes to establish a co-responder model (SB 23-241)
- School lunch programs (SB 23-221)
- Increased mental health supports (HB 23-1003, SB 23-004)
Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association said: “We started this year on a high after electing three of our member educators to the Colorado state legislature and passing the Healthy School Meals for all in November. There were plenty of challenges, but our members kept showing up – calling, emailing, and driving across the state – to ensure our representatives knew exactly what our educators and students need. It’s no coincidence that in many areas, the legislation passed was even more in line with educators’ goals than was originally forecasted. It is clear we have many legislative champions who really listened to the needs of our students and public schools.”
“The session started off on a high with the passage of HB23-1064 Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, which is an important win in the fight to combat statewide teacher shortages. It was a particularly momentous win as it was sponsored by three of our very own member educators, Representative Meghan Lukens, Representative Mary Young, and Senator Janice Marchman.”
““As our State of Education report outlined in January, the CEA has been focused on prioritizing our educator’s needs around the pillars of more investment, respect and safety for our educators, our students, and our schools. We’re thrilled to have accomplished so much that we set out to in our legislative agenda. Throughout the legislative session, every CEA member, as well as our students, parents, and community of supporters, played an important role in ensuring the success of this session’s consequential legislation. We look forward to seeing the measurable improvements this will bring in the lives of Colorado students and educators.”
“We are incredibly disappointed, however, that our legislators neglected to pass several bold fixes for Colorado’s affordable housing crisis – such as SB23-213 Land Use, HB23-1115 Repeal Prohibition Local Residential Rent Control, and HB23-1171 Just Cause Requirement Eviction of Residential Tenant. Housing accessibility is a top concern for Colorado residents, and a lack of affordable housing disproportionately affects educators. This is a crisis and it must be treated as such. The average teacher in Eagle County takes home less than $3,800 per month, while the average 2-bedroom apartment costs more than $2,030 – that’s 53 percent of their monthly income going to rent. When educators can’t live in the communities where they work teach, it is our students who lose out on dedicated teachers who will support their academic, personal, social and physical growth.”
“Following this legislative session’s close, our members’ attention will next turn to their local school board races. We are united in our view that all Colorado school boards should represent their communities, and should always work to center educators in all discussions and decisions regarding their schools. A successful school board works together with our educators to pursue solutions to the real, systemic challenges faced by our students, and we look forward to supporting candidates with those same values.”
“We will also be redoubling our efforts – in coalition with our labor and organizational partners at Together We Thrive – to push for the substantive systemic changes that are necessary for fully-funded schools. It is clear that Coloradans value our educators and want what’s best for our students. Enacting bold, systemic change is the only way to ensure that our public school system matches Coloradans’ ideals, and it is the only way to ensure that our students – no matter their color, background, or zip code – are able to enjoy the inclusive, safe, and honest education they deserve.”
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For more information on the Colorado Education Association’s Legislative Agenda:
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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.
Follow CEA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
May 3, 2023 | Press, Uncategorized
CONTACT
Lauren Stephenson
Director of Communications
Colorado Education Association
LStephenson@coloradoea.org
(303) 968-5573
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2023
Historic Bill Grants Educators and All Public Employees Workplace Protections
Safeguards Will Boost Teacher Retention, Workplace Safety
DENVER, CO – Today, Colorado’s public workers were finally granted the same workplace protections that private sector workers have enjoyed for over 90 years. With the passage of SB23-111, the Public Employees’ Workplace Protection bill, all public employees are legally safe from retaliation, harassment, and other workplace threats.
Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association, testified in support of this historic legislation. On its final passage today, she said, “On behalf of CEA’s 39,000 public school educators, I am thrilled to see that our legislative leadership listened to the hundreds of Colorado teachers who lobbied, emailed, texted, and called them this session. Finally, we will be able to advocate for ourselves, for our colleagues, and for our students without fear.”
During legislative hearings for SB23-111, educators from JeffCo to Woodland Park to Saguache shared their stories of unsafe workplaces and retaliatory actions. Just this year, Colorado educators (like David Graf of Woodland Park and Kevin Walek of Mountain Valley) have been retaliated against for “offenses” such as speaking at a school board meeting, advocating for innovative curriculum, or asking for safe staffing levels in their classrooms.
The Public Employees’ Workplace Protection bill aims to shield public workers from these harms by granting all public employees rights similar to those of Colorado’s private sector employees. SB23-111 gives public workers the right to do the following without employment repercussion:
- Discuss or express their opinions about workplace issues, and discuss their rights as workers, when discussing and addressing their concerns
- Organize, form, join, or assist an employee organization*, or refrain from organizing, forming, joining, or assisting an employee organization
- Engage in protected, concerted activity for the purpose of mutual aid or protection
- Fully participate in the political process while off-duty and not in uniform, including speaking with members of the public employer’s governing body on any matter of public concern, or on the terms and conditions of employment
Said Baca-Oehlert: “Without the protected right to advocate for ourselves and our students, our educators have often felt demoralized and disrespected, and increasingly, they are dropping out of the profession. The passage of SB23-111 shows our educators and all of our public workers that our legislators hear their concerns and understand their integral role in Colorado’s success. We’re grateful for the leadership of bill sponsors Senator Robert Rodriguez, and Representatives Brianna Titone and Steven Woodrow, as well as the entire Democratic Caucus. Colorado educators and all public workers who provide such critical sertices to our communities, eagerly await being granted the respect and legal protection they deserve when Governor Polis signs this bill into law.”
*As defined by this bill, “employee organization” means an organization independent of the employer in which public employees may participate and that exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of acting on behalf of and for the benefit of the public employees concerning public employee grievances, labor disputes, wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. “Employee organization” includes any agents or representatives of the employee organization designated by the employee organization.
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.
Follow CEA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
