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 18, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2021
New Member Survey Paints Grim Picture about Worsening Educator Shortage Crisis in Colorado
Under-funding, lack of resources, and unrealistic workloads to blame
DENVER – Today the Colorado Education Association released the results of an internal member survey that shows nearly 40% of members are considering leaving the profession after the 2020-21 school year. Underfunding and lack of resources are at the root of the top reasons given: unrealistic workload, potentially unsafe working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and low pay.
“The member survey reinforced what we’ve known for far too long: Colorado needs to make the financial commitment to ensure all of our students and educators have the resources they need,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.“When educators don’t feel supported, they leave. When educators leave, students suffer. It’s as simple as that.”
“I wanted to retire at the end of next school year but will do so at the end of this year,” said Ann Franco, veteran teacher at Colfax Elementary in Denver.“I don’t feel supported in my classroom and the state and district repeatedly demand more of us without providing resources. The paltry pay increase I receive every year doesn’t offset the continually increasing demands placed on me. Tell me another profession that requires so much with such little respect in return.”
“To see statistics like this is absolutely startling and only amplifies the critical position educators and districts are in,” said Emily Bochenek, high school special education teacher in Estes Park.“Educators are not okay right now and cannot continue at this exhausting rate. To continuously face underfunding on top of the disparities and stressors intensified by pandemic without any resolve is entirely unacceptable. If we believe in the future of our students and this career, if we truly value those who are bearing every burden of life right now, then legislative actions need to begin aligning with words and promises. Our wellness is on the line. Compassionate educators and dedicated districts will not continue to fall victim to a broken system that undermines their dedication and devalues their humanity. We are not martyrs and deserve better.”
Meanwhile, 75% of Colorado voters agree that restoration of school funding cuts should be one of the top priorities for lawmakers. Solid majorities of voters polled prioritize education funding over access to affordable health care, highway and infrastructure upgrades, and restoration of rainy-day reserves.
“The majority of Colorado voters agree that giving educators and students the resources they need should be our legislature’s top priority,” said Baca-Oehlert.“The COVID-19 pandemic certainly didn’t create the funding issues we’re seeing today but it has shone a light on the system of ‚Äòhaves and have nots’ that currently exists. It is crucial that we give the schools, students and educators the resources they deserve so that we can provide safe, equitable schools for every student in Colorado.”
Legislators can help avert the crisis of educators leaving the profession through three strategies:
- Increasing Revenue: Legislators must buy down the current billion dollar Budget Stabilization Factor, which robs public schools of precious resources needed for instruction, textbooks and mental health support. The wealthy few and large corporations must pay their fair share by closing corporate tax loopholes, so every educator and student has an exceptional school to thrive in.
- Ensuring Safety: Many of the issues educators face are not new but the pandemic has exacerbated these problems. While educators want to be back in schools and classrooms with students, it is critical that educators and students have PPE, COVID tests, vaccines, cohorting and other measures they need to feel safe—and that district-level decisions are data-driven and transparent.
- Postponing High Stakes Standardized Testing: Every student should be able to thrive—and educators are administering real-time tests and assessments to track their learning. But in a time when students and educators are struggling, bouncing between in-person, virtual and hybrid learning environments, the wisest thing to do is focus every since second on instruction so students can concentrate on learning and maintaining their mental health instead.
The CEA released their full 2021 legislative agenda last month, with increasing revenue the number one priority. Inadequate funding and balancing the state budget have been problems for public education since 2009 and the lack of funding and resources have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, disproportionately affecting low income families and students of color. Other CEA priorities for the legislative session include legislation to:
- Promote justice and equity that ensures the best public schools for our students, educators and communities
- Promote professional growth in educator accountability as opposed to punishment and high stakes testing
- Help educators achieve more time and autonomy to focus on the most crucial aspects of their job, specifically direct instruction, planning and student support
- Protect the health and safety of our students, their families and educators in the time of COVID-19
Results of Internal Member Survey
Public Polling Memo
CEA 2021 Legislative Priorities
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 4, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2021
New Polling shows Coloradans want to postpone 2021 CMAS standardized testing for grades 3-8
CEA, CASE, CASB, and the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance urge focus on instruction and social/emotional supports instead
DENVER – Leaders from the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado Association of School Executives, the Colorado Association of School Boards, and the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance released new polling data today showing clear majorities of Colorado voters and school parents put a higher priority on classroom instruction to close student learning gaps than on the CMAS standardized testing for grades 3-8 to assess potential learning gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We care deeply about making sure all our students are learning, especially during the pandemic,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.“But when students and educators are struggling, bouncing between in-person, virtual and hybrid learning depending on the COVID-19 conditions in their community, administering the CMAS this spring would be irresponsible. 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.”
More than half of respondents prioritized classroom instruction focused on teaching to close student learning gaps, while almost 4 in 10 identified social and mental health supports for students as the most important priority. Just seven percent chose standardized testing to assess potential learning gaps as a priority this spring, slipping to just four percent for parents with students in public school.
“Considering all that’s happened this year, I question the value of replacing instructional time with another test whose results won’t help my son this school year,” said Laura Martinez, parent in the Adams 14 School District.“We don’t see the benefit of standardized tests for our children, but we do see the costs. Loss of instructional time, money ‚Äî which could be spent in making our schools safe from COVID ‚Äî and additional needless stress and anxiety for our children. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
The polling data shows solid majorities believe that CMAS testing should be cancelled this spring, including two-thirds of public school parents and six out of 10 rural voters.
“The reality is that schools can’t provide fair and uniform testing conditions for students,” said CASE President and Strasburg superintendent Monica Johnson.“Not only is every community different in terms of how many students are able to attend school in person versus hybrid or remote, access to technology and the internet also varies for students based on their own personal and family circumstances. To comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols, many schools would need to test across multiple days in multiple locations, including virtually. This compromises the integrity and security of CMAS and takes away instructional time that our kids so badly need.”
“The results of this poll align with what our school board members are hearing from their local communities,” said John Wittler, Board President of Vilas School District and CASB President.“During this challenging school year, our families want to prioritize student learning by preventing additional disruptions to learning and CASB stands ready to work with policymakers on this important issue.”
View the Polling Memo on Colorado Voters & School Parents Favor Cancelling CMAS Tests this Spring
View the Press Conference
About
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.
The Colorado Association of School Executives represents more than 2,400 public school administrators from nearly all of Colorado’s 178 school districts. CASE empowers Colorado’s education leaders through advocacy, professional learning and networking to deliver on the promise of public education.
The Colorado Association of School Boards unites more than 1,000 school board members and superintendents statewide to promote the interests and welfare of Colorado’s 178 school districts. CASB provides information, training and support to enhance school board effectiveness.
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Jan 12, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2021
Increasing revenue for Colorado public schools tops Colorado Education Association’s 2021 Legislative Agenda
State’s largest union of educators hopes to work with legislators to ensure exceptional teaching and learning in every neighborhood school
DENVER – Today the Colorado Education Association (CEA) released their 2021 legislative agenda, with increasing revenue their number one priority. The 2021 legislative session begins tomorrow with the same challenge facing public education since 2009: inadequate funding. This year is even worse with insufficient personnel and resources to deal with the global pandemic, when educators, students and parents all want classrooms to reopen. Legislators also still need to address the critical needs dating from before COVID-19, including attracting and retaining quality educators in Colorado, providing robust educator-led professional development that includes diversity, anti-oppression and equity training and giving educators the resources they need to provide students with a quality public education, no matter the zip code they live or the amount of money their family earns.
“The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t create the funding issues we’re seeing today,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.“This pandemic has revealed and exacerbated the public education funding crisis in our state with severe consequences to students and educators. Lawmakers have the responsibility to provide long-lasting, sustainable funding to Colorado students, their families and educators.”
Other CEA priorities for the legislative session include legislation to:
- Promote justice and equity that ensures the best public schools for our students, educators and communities
- Promote professional growth vs. punishment and high stakes testing in educator accountability
- Help educators achieve more time and autonomy to focus on the most crucial aspects of their job, specifically direct instruction, planning and student support
- Protect the health and safety of our students, their families and educators in the time of COVID-19
“The lack of funding is at the heart of all of our legislative priorities,” Baca-Oehlert said.“We look forward to working with lawmakers to craft successful legislation that gives educators and students the resources they need to learn, as well as the resources necessary for a safe, healthy in-person school environment for students and educators.”
CEA 2021 Legislative Priorities
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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Jan 4, 2021 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2021
TODAY: Colorado Educators and Education Support Professionals Appreciation Day
Gov. Jared Polis proclamation expresses respect and gratitude for school staffs
This statement may be attributed to Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association (CEA):
“We thank Gov. Jared Polis and Sen. Nancy Todd for recognizing Colorado educators’ hard work under the most dire of circumstances this school year. We are grateful for the proclamation honoring Colorado educators and education support professionals. We would also like to thank Sen. Todd for her lifelong service to students as an educator and legislator.
“Starting the new year with this proclamation provides momentum to ensure every public school is a place with exceptional teaching and learning, no matter what neighborhood it serves. We look forward to working with the governor’s office and the state legislature to turn the powerful words in this proclamation into meaningful legislation that gives Colorado educators the resources they need to provide our students the public education they deserve. We will continue to work to increase public education funding in our state after a decade of more than $10 billion in cuts. We will fiercely advocate for policies that promote justice and equity for our students, improve an evaluation system that places importance on professional development rather than punishment, find creative ways to address educator workload, and keep our students and educators healthy and safe in the midst of this COVID-19 global pandemic.”
State of Colorado Proclamation: Educators and Education Support Professionals Appreciation Day
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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