Click here: Arizona’s Final Task Force Report on Teacher and Principal Evaluation

It is time for election of our President and our Director of Finance, each of which is a two year term. We will have nominations open for these positions until May 8th, 2011 at which time we will then produce an online ballot for you to vote for the officers of our organization.

We have two positions which are appointed according to our constitution by the CEA Executive Board, which will be vacated as well, these are Membership Chair and Communications Chair. If you are interested in this or would like to put a colleagues name in on the ballot, please do so as well.

If you would like to be a site steward or continue to be a steward at your campus please put in your name on this piece as well.

As we all know, K-12 public education in Arizona is still reeling from hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts suffered over the past few fiscal years. The governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 includes cuts to K-12 education totaling approximately $125 million.  Yesterday, March 16th, 2011, the Senate worked late into the night to pass a budget that includes devastating cuts to K-12 education.  This is no surprise considering the extreme make-up of the Senate.  The Senate budget cuts over $260 million from K-12 funding.

I am asking for your help with this statewide issue.  No single issue carries more impact than Arizona’s budget for fiscal year 2012.  Accordingly, contact from our members, leaders, parents, and concerned citizens to the governor and their legislators is key and will be critical over the next week. This is what we can do and we must do to stop these terrible cuts from being put into place. Your stories are key to painting an accurate and critically needed story of the impact on programs, personnel, and students of continued cuts to public education.  You can and should contact members of the House of Representatives that represent your area as well as respond to this posting. We know the cuts in the Creighton School District this year have not been nice and with loosing positions which have impact on students and services, it will make running our schools very different. Even if you’re position has not yet been eliminated, you still can tell your story of how we have been frozen on salary advancement for the past three years, this year we have an increase in retirement contributions, we’re also paying a portion of our medical insurance cost, and for many who are on the career ladder program, we’re facing a loss in salary there as well. You can share how the limited resources we have in our district have impacted us doing even more than what we are now doing. We’ll see the number of our colleagues in our buildings decrease because of loss of enrollment in our schools done by natural staffing. I don’t mean to paint a gloom picture, however, it is very dark out there right now and will be even darker if these cuts make their way into implementation.

One last request: Our messaging to policy makers will be impassioned and powerful, but it must in all cases be professional.  No matter what the temptation and outrage you may feel, I urge you to create impact through facts, examples, and stories – rather than through the rhetoric of anger and accusation.  We want our messages read thoroughly if they are to have any effect on policy makers’ decisions. We face an immediate opportunity to minimize the damage done to our schools through the remainder of the legislative session, particularly as the state budget is forwarded to the House and then to the governor.  Over the next few weeks there will be other specific actions where you may be asked to organize local response.  Thank you for your leadership and cooperation.

Copy the link below to send a message to your elected officials about the budget cuts and tell your personal story about the impact these cuts will have.  Our messages to policy makers should be impassioned and powerful, but must also be professional.  No matter what the temptation and outrage you may feel, we urge you to create impact through facts, examples, and stories – rather than through the rhetoric of anger and accusation.  We want our messages read thoroughly if they are to have any effect on policy makers’ decisions.

http://capwiz.com/nea/az/utr/1/ANAZPEOXJW/HXSDPEPAVW/6625511481

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Respectfully,
Jason Schnee

President

Creighton Education Association

This week is big, and getting bigger for education and action:

Yes, we have phone banks the next two nights at AEA for the Creighton Override and for candidates, from 5-8PM.

Then…a HUGE day Saturday. first a walk -maybe with some special guests (more later)- and it will be a very important walk aimed at non-early ballot voters we often don’t reach. This is terrific, because our election success this year will hinge on a good voter turnout. If you haven’t walked with us yet, now’s the time! Park Central’s Qdoba, at 9 am, as always.

And…Then, Part II: our biggest phone bank ever, Cell Phone Saturday. From noon-5 pm, at AEA, we’ll be phoning, and saying hello, thanks, and best wishes to many of the political friends we’ve worked for so long and hard. Let’s get them elected…

Check out this cool list:

Terry Goddard, Penny Kotterman, David Lujan, Lela Alston, Kyrsten Sinema, Katie Hobbs, Eric Meyer, Ruben Gallego, Donna McHenry, Laura Pastor, Randy Schiller, Rita Dickinson will all come by to say hello and thank us -and others will probably drop in as well.

The walk and phone bank are sponsored jointly by Phoenix Union CTA and CEA, Creighton EA, and AEA, but we will have other friends with us, from some of our sister locals. Refreshments for the phone bank will be provided by AEA— thanks, Doug and company.

Paul Lowes                                                                    Jason Schnee
Political Action Chair,                                                 President
Classroom Teachers’ Association, PUHSD             Creighton Ed. Association
sonoranpal@msn.com                                                ceaprez@gmail.com
480-352-8928                                                              602-429-9232

If possible, RSVP by clicking here for the Park Central walk and/or Cell Phone Saturday. It would be good to know how many walk lists, literature pieces, and phone lists we might need, as well as how much food and drink to buy. However, we’ll plan for some extra, so if you have to drop in at the last minute, you’ll be enthusiastically welcomed too.

Plan on this Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Saturday, friends. Let it roll!
——————————

Dear Creighton Employees, Parents & Community Members,

There is a Maintenance and Operations Budget Override election on November 2, and renewing this override that is currently in place is a critical part of our schools’ funding for the next several years. It may well determine teacher jobs, class sizes, and the presence of important programs like Art, Music and P.E. In last year’s election the override lost by 10%, and we cannot afford to let that happen again! If the override does not pass this year, our district’s funding will be reduced by $3.2 million over the next three years.

Yes for Creighton Kids is a committee formed to campaign for the passage of the override in the election, and we need your help! We have six weeks until early ballots are distributed, and prior to that time we need to staff phone banks, put up signs, conduct neighborhood walks, and more. We are having a meeting on August 26 at 6:00 p.m. to organize our volunteers for these and other jobs – please join us! It is going to take all of us to work together to make sure the override passes in November.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, please go to our website – www.forcreightonkids.com, and click on the “volunteer”" tab to sign up for ways to help. Also – please click on the Facebook logo below to follow us and become a fan of the “Yes on the Creighton Override” page! Find us on Facebook

Thank you in advance for your help!

Jeff Boles & Renee Sandler Shamblin

Please note: If you are receiving this message on a school district computer or using a school district provided e-mail account you may not forward this message from your computer to another’s computer or copy the flyer and distribute under A.R.S. 15-511, which prohibits the use of school resources in influencing the outcome of an election.

YES for Creighton Kids
www.forcreightonkids.com
3219 E.Camelback Road, Suite 376
480-648-KIDS
yes@forcreightonkids.com
Join Our Mailing List

We will need people to sign up for shifts to phone bank at AEA Headquarters from 5-7:30 every Monday and Thursday starting after the primary election. Please send contact the CEA Executive Board by emailing ceaprez@gmail.com to sign up for an hour shift on one of these days. We will be sending a flyer out and posting it online here shortly.

If a member is unable to make one of these phone banks in person, but he/she still wants to volunteer, have them contact AEA member Pam Duty. She can provide a phone script and calling list that members can use from their home. Pam Duty: cell 602-579-2097 or email pdutyinaz@yahoo.com.

Phoenix area volunteer opportunities
Phone bank on Thursday, August 19 from 5-8pm.
Location: AEA headquarters office at 345 E. Palm Lane in Phoenix.
Phone bank this Saturday, August 21 from 11am-4pm (pick a 2-hour shift).
Location: Glassman Campaign Office at 1027 E. Washington in Phoenix.
Phone bank on Monday, August 23 from 5-8pm.
Location: AEA headquarters office at 345 E. Palm Lane in Phoenix.
Contact person: Pam Duty- Madison District CTA (cell phone: 602-579-2097 or email at pdutyinaz@yahoo.com)

East Valley volunteer opportunity
Phone bank this Saturday, August 21 from 10am-2pm (pick a 2-hour shift).
Location: Mesa AEA Office at 1032 E. University Drive in Mesa.
Phone bank on Monday, August 23 from 5-8pm.
Location: Mesa AEA Office at 1032 E. University Drive in Mesa.
Contact person: Janie Hydrick- Mesa EA (cell phone: 480-628-1845 or email at Hydrick@aol.com)

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation containing emergency funds to help states cope with the Great Recession and stave off massive layoffs of educators. The House joined the Senate in passing H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, legislation that will keep educators working and help states with Medicaid funding. It provides $10 billion for teachers’ jobs and $16 billion for a Medicaid funding assistance program known as FMAP.

The legislation would provide $210.6 million in federal funding for Arizona and help save 3,311 jobs.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis found that the legislation, which is fully paid for, will reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion over 10 years. The bill, which the Department of Education estimates will save some 161,000 educators’ jobs, now goes to President Obama for his signature.

This victory is a result of an amazing team effort involving every level of this Association. The participation by members, the multiple contacts with every single congressional office, the calls, e-mails, and personal visits by affiliate leaders and staff were unprecedented. Together, we put together an unstoppable, persistent campaign that spanned the breadth of the Association to put forth legislation to protect education jobs. Thank you for your help in this momentous victory.

Five of Arizona’s House members – Representatives Raul Grijalva, Gabrielle Giffords, Ann Kirkpatrick, Harry Mitchell, and Ed Pastor – voted YES on the bill today. Please take a moment to extend your thanks to them for their votes. As these five legislators are also NEA and AEA recommended candidates, you may also show your support by voting to re-elect these pro-public education candidates in this year’s election.