Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
The CEA Education Support Professionals (ESP) Advisory Council members are ready to kick off this year by elevating the voices, stories and important work of our association’s amazing ESPs!
ESPs go above and beyond cleaning and maintaining our schools, transporting students, monitoring their health, cooking hot nutritious meals for them, and educating and serving them in so many other ways, and we want EVERYONE to know!! We also want to ensure you know about the role of the ESP Advisory Council, which is two-fold: to advise the Board of Directors on issues of importance to our constituency, and to provide input on CEA’s legislative issues and/or agenda.
Be on the lookout for more frequent news and updates via email and social media on important ESP issues including webinars, conferences, regional town halls, and news. If you have items of interest to share or want to get in touch, please contact us at cea-esp@coloradoea.org. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Eddie Chacon
Eddie Jay Chacon was born and raised in the San Luis Valley and is a proud ESP who serves students as a Health and Attendance Clerk at Fort Logan Northgate 3-8 School in Sheridan School District 2. He co-sponsors the Pride Club, Stand Up For Courage, PBIS team, is the founder of the Secret Self Care Squad. He also coaches volleyball at Abraham Lincoln HS.
“Throughout my educational journey, ESPs played a major role. My hope is to give back to our youth what was given to me and more. I am honored to serve on the CEA ESP Advisory Council and I am committed to advocate for our ESP. I look forward to working with you all to identify ESP leaders within Colorado and to support the growth of your leadership toolkit.”
DéJoneé Iarussi
DéJoneé Iarussi has been working as an ESP for the last 8 years in the Boulder Valley School District. She was recently appointed as the Vice President of the Boulder Valley Paraeducator Association and is now serving on the CEA ESP Advisory Council.
“It is my dream that school districts across the nation recognize the amazing, hard, invaluable work that ESPs do every day for their school districts and the students they’ve had the honor of working with.”
Jennifer Latham
Jennifer Latham is a proud 9-year paraeducator in Durango, the chair of the CEA ESP Advisory Council and the ESP At-Large Director on the CEA Board of Directors. She is a past president and treasurer of the Durango ESPA, and is a member of NEA’s ESP Leadership Institute. She also serves on Durango’s Community Relations Commission and is a fierce advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Together, we can grow and strengthen CEA through our collective action, which includes engaging and empowering ESPs! I look forward to opportunities to raise our #ESPvoices and for us all to speak them loud and proud!”
JoAnn Owen
A resident of Firestone for 16 years, JoAnn started working as a school bus driver for St. Vrain Valley School District in 2007. In 2014, wanting a change, she became a special education assistant on a Sped Bus. She loves all of her kids on the bus and sees them as a real blessing. She has been the president of the St. Vrain Valley ESP Association since May 2018.
“Our goal is to work with the District to support and bring awareness to everything our ESPs do for our students. We are the Foundation which the school district is built on.”
Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
In 1999, Barbara began attending Northeast UniServ (NEUU) meetings in Sterling as vice-president of the Merino Education Association. In 2000, the Unit Chair retired and UniServ Director, Joan Holden, suggested Barbara chair the unit meetings. At the same time, Barbara served on the CEA Board of Directors and made it a point to invite CEA leadership and staff to NEUU. Under Barbara’s leadership, NEUU adapted and developed effective goal setting and unit evaluations, leaders became more member-oriented and focused on their needs and development. The Sterling office now closed, the unit has adapted to rotating locations including virtual meetings, which now include the Southeast UniServ Unit. According to Barbara, NEUU leaders are invigorated by better attendance, new ideas and increased collegiality.
“I am proud to have chaired dedicated, professional and inspirational educator-leaders for 20 years. I hope my legacy is courage to embrace change and willingness to take risks on behalf of students and teachers.”
Barbara Gorman, chair of the Northeast UniServ Unit will be retiring in June.
Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
Often when an educator approaches retirement, they contemplate what they will do with the rest of their lives. How will they fill their buckets? Will they continue to advocate for public education? Will they still have a desire to interact with children?
When I approached retirement, I was given a great deal of advice from those who had retired before me. “Don’t worry about what you will do when you retire, it will find you.” Sure enough, it did, and I am just as busy in the world of public education as I was while I was collecting a paycheck. The difference is that it is on my terms. I get to get involved when I want and the way I want. So what have been the options? What options might you consider when you retire?
The first thing I did was join CEA Retired. It’s a one-time thing, less than a year’s dues for an active teacher. It keeps my member benefits intact and opens up many opportunities to stay connected. If you are fortunate to associate with a retired local, your dance card is set.
I like to take opportunities to give back to the profession. I like to do things that advocate for teachers in the classroom, help teachers in the classroom, and join teachers in the classroom for various organizing activities. I enjoy going to the capitol and lobbying for the profession. What better person to do that than a retired educator?
Pre-COVID, and hopefully next year, I regularly give of my time to go into a classroom on a regular basis to help small groups or individual students in their learning. The students I work with enjoy the lady with the white hair coming in every week to work with them. Many of my fellow CEA Retired friends visit the same school. We add a community feel to the culture.
And then there are the state-wide rallies; whether it is protesting a visit from the former Secretary of Education or rallying together for better pay for educators, I’m happy to put on a red shirt and join the masses. I join my non-retired friends and former colleagues and flock downtown.
I may be off the payroll, but education will always be in my blood. As a CEA Retired member, it’s nice to have a group of people that feel the same way I do, in a professional manner. It fills my pro-public education bucket and keeps me young. I hope you will consider joining us when you retire. In case you didn’t know, you can join when you are 45 and pay in four easy installments. Then it is done, you are a member for life.
Needless to say, I still leave time for a round of golf or a day on the slopes during the week, other perks of being retired. Those fill my bucket too.
Lori Goldsein is a retired special education teacher and president of CEA-Retired.
Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
Billion dollar gaps in public education funding. Postponing standardized testing for this year. Accountability. Private school vouchers. COVID-19 safety. These are just a few of the challenges educators are facing right now. The 2021 Legislative Session is back in full swing and there’s never been a better time for CEA members to collectively rise up to advocate for the schools students and educators deserve. One way members can do that is by participating in back home lobbying; engaging with their legislators and letting them know they should be listening to the true experts in public education: the professionals in the classroom. Back home lobbying also helps build deep and authentic relationships between local elected officials and constituents. Legislators need to know about the issues that matter most to students, parents, educators and communities.
Lobbying is a way to share personal stories and solutions with elected officials to increase their understanding about a specific issue educators care about. Engaging elected officials through meetings, writing letters, making phone calls, attending and hosting events, ensures educator voice is heard to support students, communities and the education profession. Lobbying is a way for educators, students, parents, and community members to share personal stories and to advocate for a particular bill or issue on behalf of public education.
There are many things members can do to lobby elected official including including meeting one-on-one with them or with a group (keeping social distancing in mind, of course), hosting or participating a virtual town hall event, engaging with them on social media, and writing an op-ed or letter to the editor to the local paper to shine light on the public education issues that matter most. Contact your local association to find out their plan for lobbying local elected officials this legislative session.
You are difference makers and lobbying elected officials couldn’t be easier. The only requirements are to be knowledgeable and passionate about public education and the issues that affect you, your students and your classroom, bus, cafeteria, etc. Elected officials are normal people and they want to hear from you. Always remember the legislator’s job is to represent you.
Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
I have always been one for countdowns. As a little girl, I was well known for creating paper chains in order to count down to big events- the winter break, a big birthday, and of course, summer break. I know that many of us are counting down the days to some sort of relief as this has been one of the most challenging years, both personally and professionally, that we have ever experienced. While it may not feel like there is light at the end of this very long tunnel, we have to remember that we have been providing the light for so many.
As we near the one-year mark of teaching and learning in the midst of a global pandemic coupled with on-going racial, social and economic injustices, it can be hard to feel that there is hope on the horizon. Oftentimes when one is in the middle of something, it is hard to look clearly ahead or behind. When I look back and reflect on this past year, there is the pain of loss, and despair that we have all endured, but there are also reminders that bring me comfort and optimism.
I do not think that I will ever get over the awe I have when I think of the heavy lift each of you has done. Literally overnight, you adjusted the entire way of performing your craft. You found ways to connect with kids to ensure their learning, health and safety, whether it was from your kitchen table, a closet, in a socially distanced classroom with a mask on, in a school cafeteria half-full or on a school bus with one student per seat. We have all made, what sometimes felt like constant, changes, adjustments, and sacrifices to make education happen this year. While getting to this point should certainly be lauded, we all know that it has not been easy and has come at a tremendous cost.
If nothing else comes out of this, I hope that what does come from it is a lasting and renewed respect for the education profession and those who choose to do this work. While most of the things that we have been experiencing this year are not new because of COVID-19, they have all been exacerbated because of it. A bright light has been shone upon the inequities that exist in the public education system and the critical role of our public schools in our communities has been illuminated. We have seen the power and the purpose of educators and my greatest hope is that the world does not forget. For now, there is an opportunity not to just return to “normal” or simply “get back” to school. Now is our opportunity to ensure that the schools our students and we return to are better. It is our moment to envision and demand the future that we know our students and educators deserve. Yes, I am counting down to that day and I am confident that it will come. The day when you, the public school educators of Colorado, are treated and respected as the professionals that you are. The day that count down arrives, will be the best one yet.
Amie Baca-Oehlert is a high school counselor and president of the CEA.
Jul 21, 2020 | Blog
Dear educators, support professionals, parents, and community members,
Today we stood up for the schools Colorado students deserve this fall by delivering a petition to Governor Jared Polis and Colorado Commissioner of Education Katy Anthes, Ph.D, raising the voices of over 13,000 educators, parents, education support professionals, and community members. Together, we demanded school employees’ voices be at the center of the reopening discussions, and safety protocols be provided by our school districts to ensure all students and staff remain healthy. Our expectations that must be met before schools reopen are:
- Decisions must involve employee voices. As part of the return to school planning, educators need to be part of the local decision-making about what safety protocols are necessary for schools to re-open. Educators must have the opportunity to vote to either approve or reject return to school plans.
- Safety protocols and protections must be provided. PPE and health protocols must be in place for students and staff. While some districts have announced protocols that will require temperatures to be checked and masks to be worn, others are requiring much less. Masks MUST be required. If a local health department is requiring masks in public places, school districts should be required to do the same.
- Transparency. Disease data must be available to all families, staff and community members immediately and consistently. Colorado’s open meetings laws must be followed so that the public can participate in the decision making process.
- Equity. Students, staff and families must always be provided with equitable access to education and tools, no matter where the learning occurs.
We know this is just one step in ensuring schools are safe to reopen this fall and it will take all of us, collectively, taking action to ensure our students have the resources and learning environments they need to be healthy and successful. Are you ready to take action? Sign up here and we will let your local know you are ready to demand the schools our students deserve.
Dear Gov. Polis and Commissioner Anthes:
I write to you on behalf of the 39,000 members of the Colorado Education Association and the students we serve regarding the pending reopening of schools across the state. We appreciate your leadership during this extraordinarily difficult time through which we are all living.
The purpose of this letter is to accompany the petition that was signed by more than 13,000 parents, educators and community members and delivered to you earlier today,expressing our concerns about the decisions that are being made without our input to reopen schools in just a few weeks. Many of our local presidents will also be sharing the petition with local school board members and superintendents. Specifically, we are asking that guidance from the state to local school districts include:
- The four expectations outlined in our petition and defined below are met prior to reopening schools to in person learning.
- Employee voice;
- Proper safety precautions;
- Transparency; and
- Equity.
- A super majority of employees in a school district vote to approve the district’s restart plan prior to returning to in person learning.
While educators want nothing more than to safely return to our classrooms and the in-person instruction we all know is irreplaceable to our students, employee voice, proper safety precautions, transparency and equity must be at the center of the decision-making process – not political, economic or corporate interests.
More than 9,800 educators across 122 school districts in Colorado have shared with us their concerns about school and workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the state, educators want a democratic voice in their workplace safety plans. They are willing to join their colleagues in refusing to return to work until the four conditions outlined above are met in order to ensure the safety and health of students and educators.
For years, our chronically underfunded public education system has served as the primary way to balance the state budget. The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already dire situation with our students and public education in Colorado facing a $1.18 billion shortfall next year. As a result, many local districts and communities don’t have the necessary resources or capacity to maintain even the most basic preventative measures of a minimum of six feet for physical distancing, much less the other important preventative actions such as personal protective equipment (PPE), testing and tracing and adequate ventilation and cleaning supplies. If we cannot properly fund our schools in normal times, how will we fund these additional needs?
Educators’ number one priority right now is the same as it has always been: ensuring the physical safety, mental health and overall well-being of our students. Far too many lives are at stake for plans that do not promise the safety of the entire community.
The petition you received today outlines our four expectations that must be met to ensure the health and safety of all students and staff:
- Decisions must involve employee voices. As part of the return to school planning, educators need to be part of the local decision-making about what safety protocols are necessary for schools to re-open. Educators must have the opportunity to vote to either approve or reject return to school plans.
- Safety protocols and protections must be provided. PPE and health protocols must be in place for students and staff. While some districts have announced protocols that will require temperatures to be checked and masks to be worn, others are requiring much less. Masks MUST be required. If a local health department is requiring masks in public places, school districts should be required to do the same.
- Transparency. Disease data must be available to all families, staff and community members immediately and consistently. Colorado’s open meetings laws must be followed so that the public can participate in the decision making process.
- Equity. Students, staff and families must always be provided with equitable access to education and tools, no matter where the learning occurs.
We cannot allow the reopening of schools to be merely a political or economic decision; doing so ignores the voices of education experts – educators and education support professionals. If we cannot ensure that the expectations above are met, we must continue with remote learning protocols. We call on the state to shift its focus toward ensuring that our communities and parents can support a robust remote learning program. The state should provide the structures and safety net to support families in a remote learning environment, including: continuing to provide protection against eviction; extending unemployment benefits, including for those in the gig economy; requiring businesses to provide accommodations for working parents and directing school districts to use their time and resources to ensure that online learning can be provided equitably; and supporting school districts to have a plan to reach out to our most vulnerable students to ensure their academic needs are being met.
We need safe, equitable and well-funded public schools ‚Äì this is what Colorado’s students deserve.
Sincerely,
Amie Baca-Oehlert
High School Counselor and CEA President
