Oct 20, 2021 | Blog
Born and raised where the chile is the best, Katie Brown grew up in Pueblo where it made her the person she is. When she was in the first grade, she told her Mom that she wanted to be a teacher so that she could grade papers. While teaching Italian to second graders at Sunset Park Elementary (the school she would eventually return to as a staff member), she again told her Mom that she wanted to teach. Her Mom was a teacher, her Grandmother taught school in rural Nebraska before her. It felt like the family tradition and a natural fit. When she said, “Please don’t,” Katie listened.
After graduating college, she worked a variety of jobs including labor and community organizer, Katie jumped at the chance to work at Freed Middle School in Pueblo, right next door to where she grew up. She found the work profoundly meaningful but it paid just $19,000 a year. She knew she had to speak up.
And this is how she became involved with the union. She knew the only way to improve her and her co-workers’ situations would be to come together and organize to fight for a contract. “In the same spirit of the working people of Pueblo who came before us, after less than a year my coworkers and I did just that,” said Brown.
Katie’s precious moments outside of board and school work are with her favorite guys – husband Zach, a brilliant listener and strike chant shouter, their oldest son Elliot, an excellent dancer and first-class reader, their younger son, Samuel who always has them laughing. They also have two furry guys, Chewy and Mando, the best border collies around. Together they like to hike around the Pueblo Reservoir, ride their bikes along the Arkansas River, paddle board at Lake Beckwith, and admire the beauty and community of their hometown, Pueblo.
Katie Brown is an elementary school counselor, the president-elect of the Colorado School Counselors Association, and proud member of the Pueblo County Education Association.
Oct 20, 2021 | Blog
In her first novel, “EduCate”, middle school teacher, Englewood Educators member and CEA Ambassador Fellowship alumni Julie White blurs the lines between fact and fiction. “EduCate” follows Cate Reed, who is battling apathetic students, middle school antics and all the extra duties a teacher must manage at Lilacwood Middle School.
Cate tries her best but is finding it harder and harder to find her footing as a teacher. She finds solace with her partner Brad and cat, Magpie. Her life turns upside down when the coronavirus changes everything in 2020. Through a fellowship in her educators’ union, Cate begins to develop her voice. She tries to adapt to online teaching as debates rage around schools opening safely, masks and eventually, vaccinations. George Floyd’s murder brings social justice and racial equity to the forefront as America navigates the pandemic of systemic racism. A controversial shirt worn to school creates a firestorm. During a school year like no other, Cate has to decide where she stands.
Author Julie White was born in Columbia, Missouri and grew up in Sweet Springs, Missouri. After graduating high school, she Seattle Pacific University for her undergraduate degree, studying journalism and communication. She married her husband Nathan in 2005. While in Seattle, she taught summer camps, environmental education and at the Pacific Science Center, where discovered she loved working with kids. She and Nathan moved to Colorado in 2008 and went back to school for her Masters in Education at Regis University, completing it in December of 2009. She has been teaching high school and middle school language arts ever since, currently at Englewood Middle School, just south of Denver.
Julie joined her local association, Englewood Educators, immediately after getting hired. She was especially energized by the CEA Day of Action in April 2018. Englewood Educators organized a Day of Action first when PERA was threatened and it felt great to have over 500 educators and supporters join in to let lawmakers know that we need to protect PERA and to fund public education. This was the moment she became an activist. That summer, she participated in Ed Summer as an intern with CEA and learned how to connect with members and further spread activism (see the GLUE story on page 4). She continued her leadership journey as a CEA Ambassador Fellow during this past school year.
Since she was teaching from home for the 20-21 school year with eLearning, she decided an appropriate project could be documenting this crazy time in a novel. As the world shut down, she turned inward to create characters and poured her free time into writing. Julie loves how storytelling can connect us. She has talked to so many union members in one-on-ones over the years that helped her craft her plot. The Fellowship gave her an accountability group, support and encouragement to complete this novel. She also joined a Lighthouse Writing Group and found the entire project to be very cathartic and fulfilling. Julie wrote “EduCate” on weekends and when she isn’t writing, she is walking in her neighborhood in Englewood or exploring a mountain trail. She loves being an aunt, playing board games, snorkeling, and discussing books.
“EduCate” is available now on Amazon in ebook, print paperback or large print formats. One reviewer wrote, “Take a trip down the 2020-2021 lane with a character that is capable, passionate, and a fierce defender of her friends and community.”
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.
Jun 20, 2021 | Blog
821,008 feet. That is the total elevation of the fifty-eight 14ers in Colorado. Those stunning mountains act as both a literal and figurative divide that splits our state into the front range and rural Colorado. Oftentimes, this very real (and very tall) barrier creates ideological differences, inequitable resource allocation, and a lack of opportunity that pose threats to rural communities.
The same divide also finds its way into public education. Here we see rural Colorado has a distinct disadvantage compared to its suburban and urban counterparts. Front range school districts are better funded, have more and newer resources, and give educators opportunities to engage in the most recent and relevant professional learning programs. Unfortunately, rural communities don’t enjoy many of those geographically-dependent advantages.
Luckily, there are groups working on behalf of rural Colorado communities to change the opportunities for educators who choose to live and work far from the I-25 corridor. In 2017, the Colorado Education Association (CEA) partnered with the University of Northern Colorado Center for Rural Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education to offer the National Board Certified Teacher Stipend. National Board Certification is an opportunity to retain excellent in-service teachers by honoring the hard work that teachers do to become certified and act as leaders in their field. The Stipend program, according to the UNC Rural Education Center, provides “All NBCT stipend recipients [with] support and mentorship from NBCT facilitators in a Colorado Rural National Board cohort. The value of the stipend is $4,250.00.”
The NBCT rural cohorts are fully facilitated by Colorado Education Association members. Karl Ramsen, a cohort facilitator from the Lake County Education Association, says, “I have no desire to become an administrator, but at this point in my career I also want to have an impact beyond the classroom. Facilitating a cohort has allowed me to become a teacher-leader in my district by helping other teachers reflect on their practice and encouraging them to pursue continuous improvement.”
Each cohort has anywhere from 14 to 20 educators who teach in rural Colorado school districts. Each cohort lasts two years, and upon completion of the program, enrolled educators will have submitted materials for all four NBCT components, allowing them to earn the certification. Not only does the NBCT certification demonstrate an educator’s leadership and prowess as an expert teacher, but it also comes with a substantial pay increase in a majority of Colorado school districts.
These kinds of programs that directly benefit rural Colorado educators can often be the sole reason why folks continue to teach in rural schools versus moving to a larger district. Valerie Sherman, the UNC Rural Center Director, notes, “Between Fall 2017 and Summer 2018, before the Center partnered with CEA and developed the Rural National Board Cohort, we awarded a total of 14 NBCT stipends. After partnering with CEA, we have awarded 36 stipends.” While the number seems small, in rural school districts, keeping 36 educators employed means they don’t have to spend valuable dollars hiring new teachers. More importantly, students receive more continuity from expert teachers, resulting in better teaching and learning in nearly every district where NBCT candidates work. Kris Kaplinski, a cohort facilitator from the Aspen Education Association, explains, “The Rural National Board Cohort removes the isolation and replaces it with a support system and group of like-minded educators who are all experiencing the same thing at the same time.”
This type of collaborative, supported professional learning Kaplinski mentions is difficult to attain in rural Colorado as many communities are relatively isolated from one another. According to Rachel Graham, a recent National Board Certified Teacher and current rural cohort facilitator out of the Estes Park Education Association, “Teachers are able to connect with others across the state, support each other and have mentors to coach them through the rigorous process. Rural districts are often isolated from the best practices happening in classrooms and this program allows connection with others.” These types of communities are a key factor to ensure that candidates grow their teaching practices while also remaining in rural Colorado school districts.
Beyond providing measurable, objective professional growth as teachers, the NBCT Stipend program also allows CEA members to earn more money, which means they can continue living and working in rural communities. Ramsen, Graham, and Jeff White, a long time facilitator from the Aspen Education Association, all note the direct monetary benefit tied to National Board certification. In fact, Ramsen was the key advocate in helping push the district to provide a monetary incentive for NBCTs in Leadville. His leadership on that front is yet another example of how the NBCT Stipend program benefits the Union. Through the rural cohorts, CEA and local associations are growing new leaders who passionately care about rural Colorado.
Yes, Colorado is divided, but mountains that scrape the clear blue skies are not enough to prevent the CEA from working with other like-minded organizations to address the barriers that make it difficult for rural Colorado educators to find high quality professional learning opportunities. Jeff White from Aspen sums it up best: “National Board Certification is an opportunity to grow and self-reflect in a process created by teachers; it is not easy. I love to hike, ski, and reach new heights. Since I really have no interest in administration, National Board Certification was the mountain I wanted to climb professionally.” By climbing that mountain and helping others do the same, Jeff, along with other cohort facilitators, are helping union members who choose to live and work in rural communities make a difference for themselves, their students, and their communities.
Casey Kilpatrick is the Director of Learning Services at the Colorado Education Association and is a former high school English teacher.
