Sep 24, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2020
The Colorado Education Association Releases Member Voting Recommendations for Upcoming 2020 Election
CEA’s 39,000 members support a pro-public education agenda
DENVER – With the 2020 election just six weeks away, the Colorado Education Association (CEA) and its 39,000 members have affirmed their support for candidates and ballot measures supportive of public education and Colorado students and educators.
When the state’s 2020 legislative session adjourned in June, public education in Colorado was worse off than when the session convened in January. Already victim to more than $8 billion in funding cuts since 2008, public education in Colorado saw this year’s $577 million deficit via the Budget Stabilization Factor nearly double to a record $1.18 billion due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 only exacerbated the inequities that already existed in Colorado classrooms as a result of lack of funding. As public education funding continues to be cut, the needs of students and demands on educators continue to increase.
“The 39,000 members of the Colorado Education Association will work toward electing pro-public education candidates and passing pro-public education ballot measures because not only do our students and educators need it, but they deserve it,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the CEA.“Our public schools, students, and educators need elected officials who will take meaningful, creative, and bold action to address the chronic underfunding of our public schools. We need those same officials to work with us, the educators, to find those solutions.”
CEA Recommended Candidates & Issues, Election 2020
- US President/Vice President – Joe Biden/Kamala Harris
- US Senate – John Hickenlooper
- House CD1 – Diana DeGette
- House CD2 – Joe Neguse
- House CD3 – Diane Mitsch Bush
- House CD6 – Jason Crow
- House CD7 – Ed Perlmutter
- State HD1 – Susan Lontine
- State HD2 – Alec Garnett
- State HD3 – Meg Froelich
- State HD4 – Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez
- State HD5 – Alex Valdez
- State HD6 – Steven Woodrow
- State HD7 – Jennifer Bacon
- State HD8 – Leslie Herod
- State HD9 – Emily Sirota
- State HD10 – Edie Hooton
- State HD11 – Karen McCormick
- State HD12 – Tracey Bernett
- State HD13 – Judy Amabile
- State HD17 – Tony Exum Sr.
- State HD18 – Marc Snyder
- State HD20 – Megan Fossinger
- State HD21 – Liz Rosenbaum
- State HD22 – Mary Parker
- State HD23 – Chris Kennedy
- State HD24 – Monica Duran
- State HD25 – Lisa Cutter
- State HD26 – Dylan Roberts
- State HD27 – Brianna Titone
- State HD28 – Kerry Tipper
- State HD29 – Lindsey Daugherty
- State HD30 – Dafna Michaelson Jenet
- State HD31 – Yadira Caraveo
- State HD32 – Adrienne Benavidez
- State HD33 – Matt Gray
- State HD34 – Kyle Mullica
- State HD35 – Shannon Bird
- State HD36 – Mike Weissman
- State HD37 – Tom Sullivan
- State HD38 – David Ortiz
- State HD40 – Naquetta Ricks
- State HD41 – Iman Jodeh
- State HD42 – Dominique Jackson
- State HD46 – Daneya Esgar
- State HD47 – Bri Buentello
- State HD50 – Mary Young
- State HD52 – Cathy Kipp
- State HD53 – Jennifer Arndt
- State HD59 – Barbara McLachlan
- State HD61 – Julie McCluskie
- State HD62 – Don Valdez
- State SD8 – Karl Hanlon
- State SD14 – Joann Ginal
- State SD17 – Sonya Jaquez Lewis
- State SD18 – Steve Fenberg
- State SD19 – Rachel Zenzinger
- State SD21 – Dominck Moreno
- State SD23 – Sally Boccella
- State SD25 – Paula Dickerson
- State SD26 – Jeff Bridges
- State SD27 – Chris Kolker
- State SD28 – Janet Buckner
- State SD29 – Rhonda Fields
- State SD31 – Chris Hansen
- State SD33 – James Coleman
- State SD35 – Cleave Simpson
- State Board of Education CD1 – Lisa Escarcega
- State Board of Education CD3 – Mayling Simpson
- State Board of Education CD7 – Karla Esser
- CU Regent CD2 – Callie Rennison
- CU Regent CD6 – Ilana Spiegel
- Jefferson County Commissioner – Andy Kerr
Ballot Measures
- Proposition 113 – Support
- Proposition 116 – Oppose
- Proposition 117 – Oppose
- Proposition 118 – Support
- Proposition EE – Support
- Amendment B – Support
- Amendment 76 – Oppose
Local Support
- Eagle County 5B – Mill Levy
- Aspen 4A – Bond Issue
- Cherry Creek 4A/4B – Mill Levy/Bond Issue
- Pueblo County 4A – Bond Issue
- East Grand 4A – Mill Levy
- Huerfano 4A – Bond Issue
- Johnstown Milliken 5A/5B – Mill Levy/Bond Issue
- Julesburg 3A – Bond Issue
- Littleton 4C – Mill Levy
- Fort Lupton TBD – Mill Levy
- Colorado Springs 4A – Tabor Issue
- Denver 4A/4B – Mill Levy/Bond Issue
- West Central 5C – Mill Levy
- Durango 4A – Support
*Please note additional recommendations may be added to this list until ballots begin being mailed out on Oct. 9.
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is a membership-based organization that represents 39,000 Colorado educators. The CEA promise to our students and communities is that the members of the Association will lead the way in guaranteeing every student access to the best public education. By working collectively with all education stakeholders, we will provide the best public education for every student and assure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
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Sep 16, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2020
Colorado Education Association and groups from Colorado’s medical community announce COVID-19 information and advocacy partnership
Health and education experts will share advice and insights with parents and educators about COVID-19 related topics
DENVER – The Colorado Education Association (CEA), along with a coalition of Colorado health care organizations, has announced a partnership to offer advice, insights and answers to health questions related to COVID-19 and to advocate collectively for what is best for educators and students in this environment. Partner organizations include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Chapter (AAP Colorado), Colorado Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP), Colorado Association of School-Based Health Care (CASBHC), Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) and Colorado Medical Society (CMS).
“This is a chance for us to cut through all of the noise and hear firsthand from medical experts on how we should be dealing with COVID-19 and the current circumstances we face,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of CEA.“It’s vital for Colorado students, parents and educators to have access to health guidelines and recommendations from those who know best.”
“Educators, physicians and clinicians all share the goal of children returning to their classrooms this fall. It’s why AAP Colorado strongly stands by our state’s educators, so that all students and teachers can resume in-person learning as safely as possible during these unprecedented times,” said Rusha Lev, MD, FAAP member.
The partnership will host a series of webinars for parents and educators beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m. and running through Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The webinars will address the concerns and challenges educators, students and parents face when working to safely continue learning and instruction in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.
The individual webinar topics will include:
- Protecting Yourself and Your Family: Mask Guidance and PPE Best Practices – Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m.
- Who to Call When: Outbreak Guidance and Other Classroom What Ifs – Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m.
- These are the People in Your Neighborhood: Working with Medical Professionals in Your Community – Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m.
- Where’s COVID: Colorado Data, Trends and Executive Orders – Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m.
A registration link for each webinar will be available on CEA social media channels prior to the webinar events.
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is a membership-based organization that represents 39,000 Colorado educators. The CEA promise to our students and communities is that the members of the Association will lead the way in guaranteeing every student access to the best public education. By working collectively with all education stakeholders, we will provide the best public education for every student and assure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
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Sep 14, 2020 | Press
Joint statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association (CEA) and Kallie Leyba, president of the American Federation of Teachers Colorado (AFT Colorado), on forming an exploratory committee on consolidation:
“The CEA Board of Directors and the AFT Colorado Executive Board voted last week to form an exploratory Unity Committee to develop a vision of what would be possible if our organizations consolidate our power, strength and resources. We believe we must do everything possible to create power for P-20 educators in Colorado at the bargaining table, in the community, at state and local boards of education and at the Legislature. We have an incredible opportunity to unify and strengthen our collective voice to proactively fight for public education,the schools our students and educators deserve, the labor movement and to push back against those who seek to undermine public education and the collective voice of educators.
“Over the years, our organizations have worked together informally to fight back against anti-public education school boards and corporate interests in Jefferson and Douglas Counties, Thompson, Denver and other districts. We have collaborated at the state Legislature and in statewide electoral efforts. While we work well together informally, we believe it is time to explore a more formal partnership.
“The Unity Committee will explore creating a new merged organization that will be stronger, unified, and deliver more programs and services to members. As a unified organization, we can accomplish so much more than we can as independent organizations. This exploratory process will provide research and analysis to determine what a formal partnership could look like and what the benefits would be to our organizations.”
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Aug 21, 2020 | Press
Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association (CEA), on the Trump administration designating teachers as“essential workers”:
“Today, President Donald Trump designated teachers as ‚Äòessential workers’ in yet another attempt to force public schools to re-open despite the deadly COVID-19 pandemic gripping our nation. His actions underscore his willingness to make re-opening our schools a political decision instead of one based in science. Over the past few weeks, Colorado school districts, educators, students, and parents have grappled with the complexities of re-opening our schools in the midst of this pandemic that is both conducive to student learning and makes safety the number one priority. Just in the past week, we’ve seen several Colorado schools forced to rethink those plans in light of positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff.
“If President Trump and Secretary DeVos are truly interested in getting schools back to normal, they would make their decisions in the interest of public health and safety. They would give school districts and educators the resources they need, and they would send a message to both educators and students that our safety is the top priority, not political games and showmanship.”
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Aug 18, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2020
Colorado Education Association Holds Town Hall with CEA-Recommended Senate Candidate Governor John Hickenlooper
Hickenlooper unveils his Senate education agenda
DENVER – The Colorado Education Association (CEA) hosted a virtual town hall event last night with CEA-recommended United States Senate candidate, Gov. John Hickenlooper. Over the course of an hour, Gov. Hickenlooper laid out details of his education agenda ahead of the 2020 United States Senate election in a match up with incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner.
“One of the greatest lessons public school educators have learned over the last several months is the need to elect public officials, including to the United States Senate, who are true champions of students, educators and public education,” said high school counselor and CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert.“Educators have lived the consequences of elected officials unwilling to act or who act by putting corporate profits over students.”
“As Educators, for nearly four years now, we have seen first-hand what a lack of commitment to public education and our students looks like as Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos slashed billions of dollars from our public schools and divert funding into unaccountable and oftentimes discriminatory private schools. Over the last several months, rather than working to get COVID under control and working on a plan to reopen schools and campuses when it is safe to do so, Trump and DeVos have tried to bully students and educators back into unsafe classrooms. And sadly, during this crisis, Sen. Cory Gardner has done nothing to stand up for Colorado’s students, parents, and educators. That is why it is so critical that Colorado voters reject Donald Trump, Betsy DeVos, and Cory Gardner this fall – by electing Joe Biden as president and sending John Hickenlooper to the U.S. Senate,” said NEA President-elect Becky Pringle.
Some of Gov. Hickenlooper’s education agenda includes:
- Investing in early childhood learning by ensuring universal access to early childhood education and preschool;
- Strengthening our K-12 system by giving schools the resources they need to reopen safely;
- Invest in public schools, investing in educators, and supporting community schools;
- Promoting equity in education by ending the school-to-to prison pipeline, strengthening support for English language learners, fulfilling our commitment to adequately fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and protecting the civil rights of LGTBQ students, and;
- Making higher education more accessible by addressing college affordability, supporting equal access to a college degree, strengthening transitions to college and the workforce, and preparing students for careers in renewable energy.
“Gov. Hickenlooper’s vision for improving public education begins to address the anti-public education reform policies that have exacerbated educational inequities amongst students, and increased the teacher shortage crisis across the country,” added Baca-Oehlert.“Educators are not willing to stand idly by when the consequences are so high for our students. Our 39,000 members believe in the hope of a new day and we will be voting in November to flip the US Senate and to roll back the failed education policies of Trump and DeVos by supporting John Hickenlooper for US Senate.”
Last month, the CEA Fund voted to recommend former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper for the United States Senate over incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner in the November general election.
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is a membership-based organization that represents 39,000 Colorado educators. The CEA promise to our students and communities is that the members of the Association will lead the way in guaranteeing every student access to the best public education. By working collectively with all education stakeholders, we will provide the best public education for every student and assure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
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Jul 22, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2020
CEA Says Nearly 80% of Members Polled Willing to Refuse to Return to Work over Safety Concerns
DENVER –
The Colorado Education Association (CEA) today delivered a petition to Gov. Polis and Colorado Commissioner of Education Katy Anthes, Ph.D., outlining the four expectations that must be met to ensure the safe return to school in the fall. The petition, signed by 13,457 educators, parents and community members, demands educator voice, safety protections, transparency and equity be included in districts’ return to school plans.
“We’ve been clear with our demands to ensure the safety and well-being of students and educators during an eventual return to in-person instruction,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and President of CEA.“Educators should be involved not only in the creation and implementation of district plans, but also have the opportunity to vote on those plans.
“In addition to providing personal protective equipment and making sure health protocols are in place, disease data must be made available to all families, staff and community members immediately and consistently,” continued Baca-Oehlert.“And students, staff and families must be provided with equitable access to education, including ensuring school districts have a plan to reach out to our most vulnerable students to ensure their academic needs are being met regardless of where the learning occurs.”
Colorado’s local control public school system results in 178 separate school districts, each making its own individual plans for a return to school in the fall. Currently, there are significant variations among the state’s districts and their return to school plans.
“What we need right now are requirements, not recommendations. The governor, department of education, superintendents and school boards are positioned to guide and provide consistency to school districts to ensure the health and safety of the state’s nearly 914,000 students and more than 55,000 educators,” added Baca-Oehlert.
CEA also made available the results of a member survey conducted last week and completed by nearly 10,000 educators. Seventy-eight percent of respondents indicated they would be willing to join their colleagues in refusing to return to work if health and safety concerns were not addressed and protective measures not implemented.
Other highlights of the survey:
- 95% of respondents say educators should vote on districts’ return to school plans
- 53% want to start the school year 100% remote
- 8% want to start the school year 100% in person
- Fewer than 1/5 of respondents believe districts can keep them safe
“No one wants to return to schools and classrooms more than educators, but the decision to do so must take into account guidance from the state and local health departments as well as the necessary safety precautions,” said John Robinson, a 20-year high school teacher and president of the Poudre Education Association.“If school districts aren’t able to guarantee the health and safety of their students and educators, then we must delay the return to school and continue with distance learning.”
To download the member survey results, visit https://bit.ly/ceabacktoworkreport.
The petition language that was delivered to Gov. Polis and CO Commissioner of Education Katy Anthes Ph.D, and signed by 13,475 is as follows:
‚ÄãThe Colorado Education Association believes that in-person learning is essential for students and educators and looks forward to returning to school in person this fall as long as districts ensure that the safety and health of all stakeholders are in place.
To ensure our schools are safe to learn this fall, the following expectations must be met:
- Employees voice and safety must drive decision making through honoring bargaining rights or a vote of approval from all employees.
- Safety protections, protocols, and precautions must be provided by our school districts for all students and staff.
- Our community must be provided with transparency and data that has driven the decision making process.
- Equity for students, staff, and families must always be provided, no matter where the learning is occurring.
Signed,
Our Colorado Community
