Jun 9, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2021
Public education becomes a priority again in the 2021 Legislative Session
Educator-led advocacy and victories under the dome
DENVER – With the 2021 Legislative Session coming to a close, the 39,000 members of the Colorado Education Association played a key role in advancing consequential legislation this session. From the passage of House Bill (HB) 21-1161, Suspend Statewide Assessments for Select Grades to Senate Bill (SB) 21-172, the Educator Pay Raise Fund to HB21-1294, K-12 Education Accountability Systems Performance Audit, CEA’s priorities this session were grounded in improving the lives of students and educators.
“This year, the 39,000 members of the Colorado Education Association really stepped up and fought for public education like we’ve never fought before,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.“Our advocacy elevated educator voice, which reverberated throughout the halls of the state Capitol and the Governor’s office, pushing legislators and the Governor to make policy and fiscal decisions that truly benefit students and educators and public education is in better shape now than it was on Jan. 12 because of it.”
Among other key victories by educators this session were HB21-1087, Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey, which allows Education Support Professionals, who provide direct instruction and support to licensed educators, to participate in the Teaching and Learning Conditions in Colorado (TLCC) Survey. Another significant bill is SB21-185, Supporting Educator Workforce in Colorado, which requires the Colorado Department of Education to direct resources to publicize existing teacher preparation programs and funding for mental health support for educators via the existing Educator Mental Health Hotline, as well as funding for additional supports and interventions for educator mental health for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
Additionally, CEA helped secure victories with HB21-1129, Extend Deadline for Training to Teach Reading, which extends the deadline for kindergarten through third-grade teachers completing evidence-based training in teaching reading to the 2022-23 school year. HB21-1164, Total Program Mill Levy Tax Credit, which allows school districts to increase their local share to 27 mills or fully funded, at one mill a year, without voter approval. This will free up $90 million in funding for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, per the bill’s fiscal note. Finally, CEA helped secure a buy-down of the Budget Stabilization Factor from $1.8 billion to $572 million in SB21-268, Public School Finance.
“Public education funding is always a priority for the members of Colorado Education Association,” said Baca-Oehlert.“The buy down of the Budget Stabilization Factor is significant and this is a step in the right direction but half a billion dollars owed to Colorado students and educators is completely unacceptable especially considering the cumulative underfunding over the last decade of Colorado’s public schools is over nine billion dollars. CEA members, students and parents will continue to fight for the exceptional public schools our students, families, and educators deserve.”
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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Mar 26, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2021
CEA President Baca-Oehlert:
Colorado’s Largest Union Pleased by Standardized Testing Waiver
U.S. Department of Education grants Colorado’s waiver with one addition
DENVER, CO – Today, the U.S. Department of Education granted Colorado’s assessment waiver request to scale down CMAS testing this year to language arts tests for students in grades three, five and seven and math in grades four, six and eight – and added the requirement of the science test for 8th grade. Waivers for science testing for grades five and eleven were granted.
The following statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“Educators across Colorado are pleased that the U.S. Department of Education recognized that full-scale standardized testing this year would be not only completely unnecessary, but also harmful to students struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Students and educators have been bouncing between in-person, virtual and hybrid learning depending on the COVID-19 conditions in their community for a year now. The last thing students need is to have the brakes slammed on learning to accommodate several weeks of standardized testing.
“We are grateful to Rep. Emily Sirota, Rep. Barbara McLachlan, Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, and Sen. Don Coram for sponsoring the legislation to apply for this partial pause that will provide some much-needed relief for students and educators this spring. Our voices matter, and we thank CEA members, parents and community allies who signed petitions, made phone calls and took action in support of the assessment waiver.
“We care deeply about making sure all our students are learning during the pandemic. The wisest thing to do is to focus every single second on instruction so our students are able to concentrate on learning and maintaining their mental health until the pandemic subsides.”
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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Mar 16, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2021
Colorado Education Association (CEA) lauds House Bill 21-1161 becoming law
Bill gives some relief to students and educators in 2021; more work to do
DENVER – On Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill (HB) 21-1161, Suspend Statewide Assessments For Select Grades, into law. Spearheaded by the Colorado Education Association, the bill will allow educators to focus their limited time and resources on instruction and interventions to put students’ learning and mental health needs first. Specifically, the bill will direct the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to formally request a waiver from the US Department of Education to suspend standardized testing for certain subjects and grades for 2020-21. It also prohibits a school district from using student academic growth measures or student performance measures when evaluating licensed personnel or for school accountability for the 2020-21 school year.
The 39,000 educators of the CEA along with 15,000 Coloradans who signed a petition were clear in their desire to cancel CMAS this year, but ultimately fought for a bill that would meet the federal guidance and preserve as much as possible instructional time for students.
“HB 21-1161 is the direct result of our elected officials listening to our members and taking action to provide relief to our students and members during a school year that has been anything but ‚Äòstandard’,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association.“CEA members have been clear that we need to ease the burden that CMAS testing will put on students, educators, schools and districts, and we want to thank bill sponsors Rep. Emily Sirota, Rep. Barbara McLachlan, Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, and Sen. Don Coram for standing with Colorado students and educators.”
“Students, parents and teachers have been through a lot this year,” said Rep. Alec Garnett, Colorado Speaker of the House.“I’m proud of the way everyone in the education community came together for our students to lessen the testing burden while still complying with federal requirements. Reps. Sirota and McLachlan led the charge to find a meaningful and responsible solution that will allow teachers to focus on teaching, and I am grateful for their efforts.”
The need for Colorado to prioritize direct instruction time over standardized testing this year has been clear for some time. After two recent CEA public polls showed just 4% of Colorado parents favored standardized testing, the Colorado Education Association and Colorado legislature worked together to prioritize student learning in a year of pandemic turmoil.
“I applaud the Colorado Education Association and the Colorado State Legislature for working together and putting the needs of students first,” said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association.“All students deserve to have the ability to demonstrate knowledge in many ways that are measurable by those who know them best – their educators. I hope Sec. Cardona and the Department of Education will work with Colorado to tailor assessments that can actually determine where students are and help design an educational experience that fully supports their academic, social and emotional needs.”
While the Colorado Education Association lauds the passage of HB 21-1161, the work of providing Colorado students and educators with relief during the pandemic is not over.
“Our goals are unchanged: Protect the precious remaining classroom time to focus on instruction and intervention, meet students’ social-emotional and mental health needs, and use existing data that educators use every day to assess and meet the current needs of our students in ways that help them thrive,” said Baca-Oehlert.
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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Mar 5, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2021
CEA President Baca-Oehlert:
Colorado’s Largest Union Applauds the Colorado House Education Committee for Standing with Students and Educators
Committee passes Standardized Testing Relief to Full House
DENVER, CO – Today, the House Education Committee passed House Bill (HB) 21-1161, Suspend Statewide Assessments for Select Grades, out of committee to the full House. The bill will give Colorado the ability to scale down CMAS testing this year, providing some necessary relief for students and educators from standardized testing this spring.
The following statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“CEA members have been clear that we need to ease the burden that CMAS testing will be on students, educators, schools and districts, and we want to thank Rep. Emily Sirota, Rep. Barbara McLachlan, Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, and Sen. Don Coram for standing with Colorado students and educators.
“It is incredibly disappointing that the federal government usurped our work with Colorado legislators on finding a solution that works for Colorado students. Our goals are unchanged: protect the precious remaining classroom time to focus on instruction and intervention, meet students’ social-emotional and mental health needs, and use existing data to reduce the logistical burden of CMAS.
“Recognizing this, we now call on all Colorado legislators and the governor to do what’s best for our students and enact HB 21-1161 into law so that our students can get the instruction time they need and deserve.”
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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Feb 23, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2021
CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert:
Standardized testing will take away valuable instruction time for students
Biden Administration issues guidance on how states assess student progress this spring
DENVER, CO – On Monday President Joe Biden’s administration issued guidance to states on assessments and accountability this spring.
The following statement can be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association:
“Today’s guidance by the Biden administration was not unexpected. There is opportunity in this guidance to determine avenues to address and understand student learning. We are analyzing the guidance issued today and look forward to continuing to work with our elected officials to ensure that students’ time is focused on direct instruction and providing them the mental health supports they need in order to best support their learning.”
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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