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 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
Jennifer Muñoz is a real life Wonder Woman. She is a secretary at the Title I office for Jeffco Public Schools, recently celebrating her 8th anniversary. She is a student pursuing a degree in social work. She is a single mom raising a daughter. She is 2nd Vice President of the Jefferson County Association of Education Office Professionals. And, she is a fierce advocate for students and public education.
Her round-the-clock work in all of these roles led to Muñoz receiving the 2021 CEA Education Support Professional (ESP) Award, as well as the Robert H. Johnson Jr. Memorial Scholarship. She hopes to be the voice of ESPs and empower others to stand up and be strong leaders. “The union isn’t 1 or 2 people, it’s everyone,” she said. “We stand stronger together and fight better together.”
A proud member of the Jeffco Education Support Professionals Association (JESPA), she has stood alongside her colleagues in Jefferson County — in full Wonder Woman costume — to share her message at a rally last fall about the importance of a safe reopening of schools amid the COVID pandemic.
“Since the day Jennifer got involved in the Union, she has been a shining example of the value of solidarity, guided by strong values for justice and fairness. It is because of leaders like Jennifer that our Union is strong. Jennifer, in her many roles, is truly leading the fight for the schools our students deserve,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, CEA President.
Throughout the pandemic, Muñoz has attended legislative roundtables and other rallies to share her story and advocate for students, colleagues and public education.
Recognizing the need for reliable internet access for Jefferson County students during remote learning — a need that was not being met by her district — Muñoz connected with Coloradans for the Common Good and was an integral part of their efforts to free up stimulus money for broadband expansion and to push Comcast to open up remote learning centers in Jefferson County. Her efforts also led to a local tech firm donating 25 laptops to students in need.
“Time and time again, I have seen Jennifer take on directors to challenge them to do the right thing for students and has not let intimidation stop her from organizing to improve the school district,” said Brock Grosso, an organizer with Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG).
Muñoz was among those who spoke at the virtual bill signing with Gov. Jared Polis in December that granted $20 million to improve internet infrastructure for Colorado students and educators.
When Jeffco announced a large cut of food service sights for remote students just two weeks before Christmas, Muñoz again jumped to action. “When is it ever a good idea to take a meal away from a kid?” she said. JESPA rallied and the district responded by opening more sites for meal service and used bus drivers to deliver food.
Like many educators, one student had a tremendous impact on her early on in her career. This student’s dad’s girlfriend wouldn’t let her do laundry because she didn’t want the girl to use the detergent. She came to school with dirty clothes and “it just broke me.” She thought “Let’s just buy her some soap,” but was told that’s not allowed. “What do you mean we can’t do this? I thought we were here for kids.”
When she gets her degree in social work, she hopes to work with students at a Title I school, providing for their social and emotional needs.
“Jenn is an unapologetic advocate for students in Jeffco, but especially Title 1 students who need more support, not less from the public school system,” said JESPA President Lara Center.
It’s not always easy speaking up, but it’s something Muñoz knows is important.
“My voice shakes sometimes because yeah, I’m scared, but I know I’m doing the right thing.”
Jennifer Latham is a paraeducator and member of the Durango ESPA and the CEA Education Support Professional At-Large Director.
Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
The CEA Education Support Professionals (ESP) Advisory Council members are ready to kick off this year by elevating the voices, stories and important work of our association’s amazing ESPs!
ESPs go above and beyond cleaning and maintaining our schools, transporting students, monitoring their health, cooking hot nutritious meals for them, and educating and serving them in so many other ways, and we want EVERYONE to know!! We also want to ensure you know about the role of the ESP Advisory Council, which is two-fold: to advise the Board of Directors on issues of importance to our constituency, and to provide input on CEA’s legislative issues and/or agenda.
Be on the lookout for more frequent news and updates via email and social media on important ESP issues including webinars, conferences, regional town halls, and news. If you have items of interest to share or want to get in touch, please contact us at cea-esp@coloradoea.org. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Eddie Chacon
Eddie Jay Chacon was born and raised in the San Luis Valley and is a proud ESP who serves students as a Health and Attendance Clerk at Fort Logan Northgate 3-8 School in Sheridan School District 2. He co-sponsors the Pride Club, Stand Up For Courage, PBIS team, is the founder of the Secret Self Care Squad. He also coaches volleyball at Abraham Lincoln HS.
“Throughout my educational journey, ESPs played a major role. My hope is to give back to our youth what was given to me and more. I am honored to serve on the CEA ESP Advisory Council and I am committed to advocate for our ESP. I look forward to working with you all to identify ESP leaders within Colorado and to support the growth of your leadership toolkit.”
DéJoneé Iarussi
DéJoneé Iarussi has been working as an ESP for the last 8 years in the Boulder Valley School District. She was recently appointed as the Vice President of the Boulder Valley Paraeducator Association and is now serving on the CEA ESP Advisory Council.
“It is my dream that school districts across the nation recognize the amazing, hard, invaluable work that ESPs do every day for their school districts and the students they’ve had the honor of working with.”
Jennifer Latham
Jennifer Latham is a proud 9-year paraeducator in Durango, the chair of the CEA ESP Advisory Council and the ESP At-Large Director on the CEA Board of Directors. She is a past president and treasurer of the Durango ESPA, and is a member of NEA’s ESP Leadership Institute. She also serves on Durango’s Community Relations Commission and is a fierce advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Together, we can grow and strengthen CEA through our collective action, which includes engaging and empowering ESPs! I look forward to opportunities to raise our #ESPvoices and for us all to speak them loud and proud!”
JoAnn Owen
A resident of Firestone for 16 years, JoAnn started working as a school bus driver for St. Vrain Valley School District in 2007. In 2014, wanting a change, she became a special education assistant on a Sped Bus. She loves all of her kids on the bus and sees them as a real blessing. She has been the president of the St. Vrain Valley ESP Association since May 2018.
“Our goal is to work with the District to support and bring awareness to everything our ESPs do for our students. We are the Foundation which the school district is built on.”
Feb 20, 2021 | Blog
In 1999, Barbara began attending Northeast UniServ (NEUU) meetings in Sterling as vice-president of the Merino Education Association. In 2000, the Unit Chair retired and UniServ Director, Joan Holden, suggested Barbara chair the unit meetings. At the same time, Barbara served on the CEA Board of Directors and made it a point to invite CEA leadership and staff to NEUU. Under Barbara’s leadership, NEUU adapted and developed effective goal setting and unit evaluations, leaders became more member-oriented and focused on their needs and development. The Sterling office now closed, the unit has adapted to rotating locations including virtual meetings, which now include the Southeast UniServ Unit. According to Barbara, NEUU leaders are invigorated by better attendance, new ideas and increased collegiality.
“I am proud to have chaired dedicated, professional and inspirational educator-leaders for 20 years. I hope my legacy is courage to embrace change and willingness to take risks on behalf of students and teachers.”
Barbara Gorman, chair of the Northeast UniServ Unit will be retiring in June.
