Jul 8, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2020
Association Says Certain Expectations Must be Met to Ensure Safety of All Students, Staff
DENVER – The Colorado Education Association (CEA) and its more than 39,000 members, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, are calling on all school districts across the state to involve educators when planning for the safe return to in-person classroom teaching for the upcoming 2020-21 academic school year.
“Educators want nothing more than to return to their schools and classrooms, knowing in-person instruction is preferred, but it must be done in a thoughtful, safe and responsible way, taking into account not only the recommendations and guidelines of public health officials, but also the voices of parents, students and educators,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and president of CEA.
Complicating the issue is the state’s system of local control. Unlike most states in which the public school system is administered by the state, public schools in Colorado fall under the control of local school districts, resulting in 178 separate districts each making their own decisions as to whether or not a physical return to school in the fall is plausible and what the conditions will be if and when students and educators do return.
There are a number of significant variables among Colorado districts’ plans for a return to school in the fall, including but not limited to whether temperature checks and mask wearing will be mandatory or not.
To ensure consistency and the health and safety of the state’s nearly 914,000 students and more than 55,000 educators during a return to in-person instruction this fall, CEA and its members’ are asking to be included in the decision-making process. The expectations include:
- Involving employee voices. Districts and educators should bargain the necessary conditions to return to school and confirm with a vote of approval by all employees.
- Safety protocols and protections must be provided. PPE and health protocols must be in place for students and staff.
- Transparency. Disease data must be available to all families, staff and community members immediately and consistently.
- Equity for all. Students, staff and families must always be provided with equitable access to education and tools, no matter where the learning occurs.
“There are countless justifiable reasons that students should return to the classroom in the fall,” added Baca-Oehlert.“In addition to their academic and social-emotional development, and physical and mental health needs, many students depend on school for their daily meals. Parents and family members rely on schools for economic reasons, allowing them to return to work.
“But those reasons alone don’t dismiss educators’ valid fears and concerns and the risk of being exposed to the virus, especially as we see cases spiking in parts across the country.”
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Jul 1, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2020
Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association, on the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling on requiring in-person signatures for ballot measures:
“We are extremely disappointed by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision today to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed signatures to be collected via email and mail in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. No one could have predicted the impacts the past four months have had on the world, including the ability for citizens to safely get an initiative on the ballot for the upcoming November general election.
“The idea of a fair and equitable tax system in Colorado enjoys broad support across the state. Restructuring the tax code would mean lower taxes for 95% of Coloradans, and Initiative 271, if passed by voters, would generate more than $1 billion in funding for chronically underfunded public schools. This is even more critical since the Colorado Legislature withheld a record $1.18 billion from students and educators during the 2020 Legislative Session.
“Today’s ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court demonstrates that the institution is out of touch with the realities of most Coloradans. If there was ever a time to enact innovative ways to carry on the work of our democracy, this is it. Today, the Colorado Supreme Court failed in its obligation to the people of the state of Colorado.”
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Jun 16, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2020
Public education saddled with a $1.18 billion deficit as elected leaders fail to come to agreement on ways to increase revenue for public education
DENVER – Colorado’s 2020 legislative session opened with public education facing a $577 million deficit before the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 ballooned the deficit to an unprecedented $1.18 billion. The 39,000 members of the Colorado Education Association (CEA) engaged in record activism to ensure that legislators heard from front-line professionals about what our educators, students and public schools need, highlighted by the need to make educator pay, ranked 49th in the nation, more competitive and eliminating the budget stabilization (BS) factor by 2022.
In addition to addressing educator pay and eliminating the BS factor, educators called for legislators to support public schools and education professionals by:
- Reducing educator workloads and large class sizes
- Increasing mental health supports for educators and students
- Prioritizing public schools over private corporations
- Updating the educator evaluation and accountability systems
- Prioritize all working families and union values
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Colorado Legislature once again cut public education to balance the state budget by more than doubling the BS factor to $1.18 billion. As public education funding continues to be cut, the needs of students and demands on educators continue to increase.
“CEA had a strong presence at the Capitol this session. In response to the new limitations placed on legislative engagement, our members took action, standing up for public education via emails, phone calls and social media activism,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and president of CEA.“We emphasized how this current crisis was not a singular occurrence. Public education has been in crisis for over a decade. We cannot afford to continue balancing the state’s budget on the backs of students and educators.”
Determined to address the inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic recession, CEA focused its efforts on policies that would provide more money into public education and provide educators relief by:
- Advocating for passage of an emergency tax relief bill
- Prioritizing classrooms over corporations by closing corporate tax loopholes
- Redirecting the money spent on high stakes standardized testing and the costly accountability system to support student needs
In the final hours of the 2020 session, House Bill 20-1420, Adjust Tax Expenditures For State Education Fund, passed but is nowhere near as impactful as originally introduced. The amended bill represents a watered-down version that will raise more than $100 million for public education versus the $750 million it was originally expected to generate over several years.
“It’s disheartening to have had several solutions that could have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in relief for Colorado students either killed or gutted,” Baca-Oehlert added.“If there was ever a time to find bold, creative solutions, it’s now. But the advocacy of our members did make a difference this legislative session and we will continue to advocate for funding solutions for the schools our students and educators deserve. We were encouraged that the legislature supported Coloradans by passing major bills including paid sick days, expanded unemployment insurance, whistleblower protections and a process to review the impact of COVID 19 on standardized testing, accountability, accreditation and evaluation.”
CEA thanks those legislators who were willing to bring forward bold and creative solutions this session. CEA members will continue fighting alongside public education supporters toward long term solutions, such as Initiative 271, that will provide much needed resources for Colorado students.
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May 29, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2020
DENVER – Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association, on the killing of George Floyd and racial discrimination and violence in America:
“As a union of over 39,000 educators in Colorado, we stand in solidarity with those fighting racial, social, and economic injustice. We will stand and fight for people like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor because they deserve those who will stand and fight for them. Those in power who allow this to continue must be held accountable. Our children are watching.
“The events over the past several weeks highlight the need for us, as a society, to take a good look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘who do we want to be?’ and ‘who do we want our children to become?’ This nation was founded on the principles of the“land of the free,” but that hasn’t been the case for people of color. We must stand together and fight to dismantle these racist systems because, if we don’t, who will?
“As we grieve for innocent souls like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and countless others who were murdered at the hands of those paid to protect us, we must recognize the institutional and structural racism and white privilege that exists at all levels. In our own schools, Black and Latinx students are more likely to be referred to law enforcement than their white peers. This is wrong and must end. The time is now.
“We want to make it clear: We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the protestors who stood against police violence on people of color yesterday in Denver. We also condemn any backlash and treatment against the protestors. The systemic problems that allow this in our country is the problem; not those who choose to stand against it.”
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May 22, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2020
DENVER – Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association, on assessment from the Joint Budget Committee that K-12 public schools could lose additional $577 million or more:
“Students who will have more academic and mental health needs when they return to school cannot be expected to grow and thrive under the public education cuts proposed by the Joint Budget Committee. It’s unfathomable that Colorado could withhold $1.15 billion in a single school year ‚Äî the largest Budget Stabilization Factor ever ‚Äî from students who are experiencing trauma from a pandemic and from an education system that has already suffered from more than $8 billion in cuts over the last decade.
“Legislators know our school districts cannot count on the one-time $500 million in federal funds for their day-to-day operating expenses. The Legislature must return next week ready to pass the emergency tax provision in TABOR to provide immediate school revenue and tax relief for 95% of Coloradans. Legislators should pause the costly accountability system and eliminate other areas of K-12 spending that do not help our students thrive. The Legislature must be prepared to make cuts to other departments so that our students and educators are not once again bearing the majority of the burden.
“Coloradans support raising revenue for schools, not cutting resources. CEA’s new public polling reveals that most voters ranked K-12 public school funding as one of the last areas to cut. When offered possible options to close the state’s budget shortfall, 81% of voters preferred increasing taxes over cutting public school funding, with 68% preferring to increase taxes only on those making more than $250,000. All Coloradans can make their voice heard by demanding our senators in Washington pass the HEROES Act for state budget relief, and by encouraging their family, friends and neighbors to support Fair Tax Colorado for a fair tax policy for all. Voters must approve Initiative #271 in Election 2020 so our students, educators and public schools don’t continue to suffer from yet more devastating budget cuts.”
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May 20, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2020
DENVER – As the Colorado Legislature prepares to reconvene next week to balance the state budget and pass the School Finance Act for the 2020-21 school year, the Colorado Education Association is charging legislators to protect public education funding now and for the future.
“The notion that our schools and students could bear the brunt of the cuts needed to balance the state budget is unacceptable. The last thing anybody wants is further disruption in the lives of students after all they have been through,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor, during a virtual press conference today.
Baca-Oehlert noted that past education cuts from the Great Recession, totaling $8.1 billion, still harm our students today.“Difficult budget decisions shouldn’t continue to be made on the backs of Colorado students and educators. The Colorado Legislature did that 10 years ago and we’ve never recovered. We need to treat this downturn differently and continue to prioritize educators, schools and students,” Baca-Oehlert added.
Baca-Oehlert said the key to minimizing K-12 education cuts is keeping the Budget Stabilization Factor flat. Even if the BS Factor remains flat, it still amounts to a $572 million cut to our students and educators for the next school year. Before further cuts to the K-12 education system are even considered, she said the legislature must first:
- Pass an Emergency Tax Relief bill to raise revenue;
- Pause the accountability system and redirect funds currently allocated to some grants and mandates in order to free up local resources;
- Make cuts to other departments so that education is not bearing the majority of the burden.
“Our students, many of whom come from high-trauma and high-poverty situations, don’t need their lives impacted further. They need stability,” said Cody Childers, a middle school English teacher in Cortez.“Every single cut impacts us tremendously.”
In a new CEA poll, Colorado voters agreed public schools and educators are worthy of more public support and investment. When asked to consider budget cuts to public services, most voters ranked K-12 public school funding as one of the last things to cut. In the same poll, when voters were offered three possible options on how to close the state’s $3 billion state budget shortfall, 81% preferred increasing taxes over cutting K-12 public school funding, with 68% preferring to increase taxes only on those making over $250,000.
“We hear everyone say, ‚ÄòWe’re all in this together.’ It’s time to put our money where our mouth is. We must welcome students back to a more equitable, safe, and dynamic learning environment,” said Marilyn Winokur, chair of Coloradans for the Common Good. CCG, along with CEA, endorses Fair Tax Colorado to place Initiative #271 on the election ballot to give tax relief to 95% of Coloradans while raising critical revenue for education and other vital public services.
Colorado educators are going above and beyond under unbelievable circumstances to meet student needs since in-person instruction and learning was cancelled due to the pandemic. Denver teacher Monica Hunter said distance learning is not a long-term solution and her students who have lost valuable face-to-face, in-person instruction time will require additional supports and resources to catch up.
“Specialized services such as social workers, counselors and psychologists were already stretched thin before COVID-19 and we know many students are dealing with new traumas,” said Hunter, who teaches at a Title I school.“These are unprecedented times but no matter what, education must prevail.”
In CEA’s voter poll, a clear majority of voters responded that schools should prioritize classroom instruction that focuses on teaching to close student learning gaps over everything else when students return to school, including standardized testing.
Baca-Oehlert reviewed the long-lasting effects of severe budget slashing from only a decade ago: more educators leaving the profession; fewer college students choosing to study education; four-day school weeks; lack of access to mental health supports; larger class sizes and fewer class offerings.“The further cutting of school budgets will harm our students for the next decade and beyond. Tough decisions are required but balancing another budget crisis on the backs of our students, educators and schools is simply not an option.”
Download the polling memo and the topline results of CEA’s statewide voter poll by Keating Research.
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