Apr 2, 2020 | Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2020
DENVER – Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, on Gov. Polis’ executive order to pause teacher evaluations for 2019-20 academic school year:
“We applaud Governor Polis and his recommendation to suspend teacher evaluations for the 2019-20 school year in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and its profound impact on the state’s public education system. However, he has ultimately deferred to school districts to make decisions on how to proceed on the evaluation process.
“Colorado law currently requires that 50% of an educator’s evaluation be based on student growth as determined by Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments, which have been suspended by the Colorado Department of Education for the 2019-20 school year.
“Because a large percentage of an educator’s evaluation is based on state assessments that will no longer will take place this year, it only makes sense to pause teacher evaluations as well. Unless evaluations were completed prior to the Governor’s Executive Order to close schools, we call on school districts to suspend evaluations for the 2019-20 school year. Districts should negotiate with the local education association in order to come to an agreement on educator evaluations.
“Our top priority is supporting our 39,000 members and equipping them with resources so that every student thrives during this unprecedented time of disruption and distance learning. Educators are resolutely focused on making distance learning a success for their students. This includes not just their academic success, but also their social-emotional and physical health and safety. Educators need to be given the time to maintain relationships with their students, not worry about evaluations during this challenging time.”
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Mar 11, 2020 | Press
Educators will continue to visit Capitol weekly to raise awareness of low pay, school funding with legislators
DENVER – The Colorado Education Association will cancel its Day of Action at the Capitol, scheduled for Thursday, March 19, because of mounting public health concerns over the spreading of the COVID-19 virus.
“Be assured this difficult decision was made out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety and welfare of our students, members and families,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor.“We closely monitored guidance from health officials at the federal and state level throughout this process. Though no official guidance was given to us to restrict public gatherings such as our Day of Action, we don’t want to contribute in any way to the anxiety people are experiencing during this troubling health crisis.”
More than 5,000 educators and public education supporters were expected to attend the Day of Action to rally for the schools our students deserve. The educators were taking personal time off from school to protest Colorado having the least competitive educator pay in the country and continuing to make deep cuts to school funding (through the budget stabilization factor), even though Colorado has one of the most powerful state economies in the country.
“Despite our cancellation, lawmakers must feel urgency to take bold action during this session to keep quality educators in our classrooms and to ensure our students have the resources and supports they need to thrive,” added Baca-Oehlert.“Raising educator compensation across the state remains our top legislative priority. Our members will continue to visit the Capitol in smaller numbers every week during CEA Lobby Days to share our stories of the critical resources denied to our students, and the extreme difficulties educators have making a decent living in this state.”
In the coming days, CEA will roll out plans to have a“virtual” day of action March 19 to offer educators, parents, students and public education supporters the opportunity to participate and have a powerful impact at the legislature from home.
Educators will also continue to raise awareness of the Fair Tax Colorado ballot measure (Initiative 271), another focal point of the Day of Action, which if passed, could raise $1 billion to support educator recruitment, retention and pay.
Download CEA’s State of Education report for context on the detrimental impacts of Colorado’s chronic underfunding of our public schools. Contact Mike Wetzel, CEA public relations director, at mwetzel@coloradoea.org or 720-454-5729 to connect with educators who have attended or will attend CEA Lobby Days during this legislative session.
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Mar 9, 2020 | Press
Educators to march on Capitol for higher teacher pay, increased school funding
DENVER – With the clock ticking on important education funding bills at the Colorado State legislature, the time for action is now. Thousands of educators across Colorado will descend on the Capitol, March 19, to rally before the legislature for the schools our students deserve.
WHO: Thousands of educators, many of whom have great difficulty affording Colorado’s extremely high cost of living, need to hold multiple jobs to make ends meet, and have seen their districts struggle to retain quality educators and provide adequate resources and supports for students.
WHAT: CEA Day of Action
WHEN: Thursday, March 19, 9:00 to 2:00
WHERE: Start at Civic Center Park, March to West Steps of Colorado State Capitol
WHY: Colorado has the least competitive educator pay in the country and continues to make deep cuts to school funding through the budget stabilization factor ($572 million in the current school year; $8.1 billion since 2010).
Members of the Colorado Education Association will join with parents, students and public education supporters to specifically call on the Colorado General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 089, which will create a dedicated incentive fund with the explicit purpose to increase educator salaries across Colorado. Educators will additionally call upon legislators to reduce the budget stabilization factor by at least $100 million in this session and to commit to eliminating these cuts to public schools by 2022.
“Raising educator compensation across the state is our top legislative priority. Lawmakers will hear our mighty collective voice, March 19, on how difficult it is for an educator to make a decent living in this state while the rest of the economy soars,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor.“Lawmakers must take bold action now to keep quality educators in our classrooms to support Colorado’s greatest resource, our students.”
School districts that have announced plans to close school for students March 19 include Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Adams County School District 14, Boulder Valley School District, Brighton 27J Schools, Clear Creek School District, Denver Public Schools, Englewood Schools, Jeffco Public Schools, Littleton Public Schools, Mapleton Public Schools, Sheridan School District No. 2, and Weld Re-8 School District (Fort Lupton).
More educators will attend the Day of Action from school districts that are already closed March 19 for Spring Break, including Aurora Public Schools, Cañon City Schools, Cherry Creek School District, Douglas County School District, Durango School District 9-R, Falcon School District 49, Greeley-Evans School District 6, Poudre School District, Roaring Fork School District, Thompson School District R2-J, and Weld County School District RE-1 (Gilcrest).
The Day of Action will bring awareness to the Fair Tax Colorado ballot measure (Initiative 271) that could be used to fund the SB-089 proposal and eliminate the budget stabilization factor.
Media wanting to attend CEA’s Day of Action should contact Mike Wetzel at mwetzel@coloradoea.org or 720-454-5729, and should download CEA’s State of Education report for context on the detrimental impacts of Colorado’s chronic underfunding of our public schools.
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Jan 29, 2020 | Press
Committee approves SB-89 to address livable educator wages, improve retention with dedicated funds
DENVER – The bill to create a dedicated incentive fund for resources specifically allocated for educator pay is one step closer to passage today after clearing the Senate Education Committee.
Sens. Nancy Todd, Tammy Story and Jeff Bridges voted in support of Senate Bill 89. The bill establishes the Educator Pay Raise Fund, through which school districts could apply for funds to increase their minimum salaries and wages for teachers and education support professionals.
“We are very pleased the Committee members had a thoughtful discussion on educator pay today and showed their resolve to help educators live in the communities where they serve by approving this much-needed legislation,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association.
CEA supports SB-89 as a way to begin to fix the educator pay crisis, the number one priority of educators during this legislative session. Currently, Colorado has no mechanism at the state level to direct funds specifically to educator pay, meaning the legislature can direct more funding to public education but those new dollars might not be used to help retain quality educators in our schools.
“Educators are frustrated, working two to three jobs to make ends meet and spending their own money on school supplies, while other professionals live much more comfortably in this very robust state economy,” Baca-Oehlert added.“It’s time to see our state’s economic success reach the classroom and adequately compensate the professionals who chose the education profession to help prepare our students for their futures.”
CEA laid out the stress educators experience in keeping up with Colorado’s high cost of living in its State of Education report. Starting teacher pay in Colorado is 47th in the nation according to the National Education Association, and business.org recently ranked Colorado dead last in the country in wage competitiveness, with teachers earning 40% less than the average salary in the state.
Educators seeking a livable wage have public opinion on their side: three-quarters of Americans support raising educator pay – the highest level of support in a decade – while 76% of Coloradans think teacher pay falls short, up from 51% in 2011.
SB-89 is co-sponsored by Sens. Jessie Danielson and Leroy Garcia, and Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez.
Jan 13, 2020 | Press
SB-089 Educator Pay Raise Fund Bill seeks to address low pay, improve retention with guaranteed dollars for educator salaries
DENVER – State Sen. Jessie Danielson today introduced Senate Bill 089 which creates a dedicated incentive fund for resources specifically allocated for educator pay. This fund will assist school districts in increasing their minimum educator salaries and wages, prioritizing districts with the highest need.
“This is real action that will help local districts attract and retain great educators in our classrooms,” said Sen. Danielson, who represents Jefferson County.“Doing right by teachers is how we do right by our students.”
While Colorado’s economy is thriving, starting teacher pay here lags at 47th place in the nation. The 38,000 members of the Colorado Education Association stated in their State of Education report that pushing the legislature to find avenues to allocate more funding to public education is the main priority for Colorado educators during this legislative session.
“Frustrated educators, many who work two to three jobs just to make ends meet, have time and again seen new dollars go to outside education consultants or for-profit testing and management companies, instead of seeing deserved increases in their paychecks,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor.
Creating the Educator Pay Raise Fund has the potential to help thousands of educators stay in the profession. Students thrive with a stable, supportive educators at school, but with Colorado experiencing a massive educator shortage and a significant decline in young people going into the education profession, educators say that is not in the best interest of students.
“The legislature needs to ensure increased education funding will directly translate to valuing the role of educators in our students’ lives and compensating them as professionals,” Baca-Oehlert added.“If we value education, we can find the resources to provide professional, sustainable pay for all educators. Our legislature can send a strong message that the education profession matters to Colorado’s success by passing Senate Bill 89.”
Educators seeking a livable wage have public opinion on their side: three-quarters of Americans support raising educator pay (the highest level of support in a decade) and 76% of Coloradans think teacher pay falls short (up from 51% in 2011).
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