School board elections are to be nonpartisan for a reason. Partisan elections emphasize politics that are not helpful in selecting school board members.

Furthermore, party labels distract voters from asking who has the knowledge and skills to serve the educational needs of students. All party affiliations have a vested interest in local public education.

The strength of our community is directly tied to economic development and to creating a community that attracts more business and industry. Both are directly affected by the training of our future workforce. Smart change is needed.

School Board candidates must work collaboratively as a five-person board to make careful decisions to help our school district improve in spite of diminishing resources. We need a board to create strong schools today to ensure a strong community and a strong America for our future.

We invite our neighbors who wish to work toward smart change to join us in the effort.

RICK LANGLEY

HEIDI HOFFMAN

Co-chairs of Strong Schools,

Strong Community Group

Grand Junction

Clifton Elementary Shows How Money Can Help

The recent comments of some prospective school board candidates should provoke a response in a number of serious-minded citizens across the valley.

Candidate John Sluder wonders “if we throw another billion dollars at our education system (is it) going to improve overnight?” His supporters and he claim “No!”

As a 14-year teacher in School District 51, I take that comment personally because the real answer is a most emphatic “Yes.” As a matter of fact, it has already happened right here in our own school district.

Clifton Elementary received a federal grant in the amount of some $866,000 a year, for three years, to improve educational results as a “turnaround school.” Those who find high-stakes testing to be the most valid measure of school success might be surprised to learn of as much as a 40 percentage point boost in reading test scores, 35 percentage point boost in writing test scores and a 54 percentage point boost in math test scores attributable to this funding, (considerably short of the billion Sluder suggests will fail).

Sluder also suggests spending the “bare minimum” to comply with unfunded federal mandates. With special education being a major “underfunded mandate,” is it Sluder’s contention that the education of students with special needs doesn’t deserve the equitable attention (money) set aside for the education of all other students?

Sluder’s comments betray a cynical point of view, playing to the fears of taxpayers while schools prove every day to be worthy of all the support they can muster. Virtually every school in this valley receives high marks from the parents of its students. Virtually every individual teacher, as well.

Sluder might want to rethink his approach to education and decide if he intends to serve both students and his constituents as a member of the school board. Will he use a critical eye or more platitudes to achieve his goals?

JOE ZENI

Grand Junction

Republicans seek one-party rule on District 51 school board

By Bill Grant 
Tuesday, September 24, 2013

After the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce led the charge to install a conservative Grand Junction City Council, Republican women have now launched a crusade to install a thoroughly partisan District 51 Board of Educaition.

Comparing the November school board election to this month’s recall of state Sens. John Morse and Angela Giron, Lois Dunn-Susuras, chairwoman of the Mesa County Republican Party, suggested the local school board races, like the Front Range recall elections, could involve unprecedented amounts of money and provoke interest and financial contributions from outside the district.

Though the campaign will be costly and will require extensive volunteer time, Dunn-Susuras said, “We do believe this is worth it — it’s a very big race we need to win this time.”

Referring to current board members Ann Tisue and Jeff Leany, who are not up for election this year, Linda Gregory, president of Mesa County Republican Women said, “Our two need more help.”

It is unclear why Mesa County Republican women have chosen to politicize the District 51 school board election. What is political about cafeteria policies, school zoning issues, student transportation, safety and other issues likely to be dealt with at the local school board level?

Most of all, how will politicization of the school board enhance student learning outcomes?

Many education experts believe non-partisan school boards are the foundation on which our public education system rests. Free from partisan pressure, school board members are more likely to make sound decisions favorable to students and teachers, and more likely to take actions that enhance learning.

“That’s designed by the State of Colorado,” explained Steve Burkholder, former mayor of Lakewood and lifetime Republican. “Local school boards are to be non-partisan.”

Or at least they used to be.

The Republican’s “three great candidates” are Pat Kanda in District C, Mike Lowenstein in District D and John Sluder in District E.

Although these candidates are distancing themselves from their party affiliations, they cannot hide their partisan base. “This is the slate that the Republican Party has decided to back,” Gregory announced.

She assured the public, “We do believe in conservative values and we found the people we thought follow our way of thinking. It is a non-partisan election and I don’t know how they’re registered.”

This, however, is contradicted by the weeks Gregory spent vetting the candidates. Before they were selected as the conservative candidates, these three were thoroughly investigated by Republicans, including facing 20 interested citizens for two hours.

They were also extensively interviewed by the Republican Party, which approved the slate as party candidates.

For a taste of what may be coming, parents, students, teachers and people who value public education unpolluted by politics need to look no further than the reading list proposed by Leany last January.

After he scoured books used by District 51,  Caprock Academy and Mesa County K-12 on-line courses, Leany declared himself “not too pleased” with the district’s choice of texts, especially in the area of history and civics.

Leany proposed to replace these questionable texts with a hodgepodge of right-wing propaganda, at least one of them written by the late Cleon Skousen.

Skousen was a veteran of the John Birch society who had drifted so far to the nutty right that all but the most right-wing of his followers had rejected his radical politico-religious ideas. That included all but a radical right-wing fringe of the Mormon community.

Stanford University constitutional scholar Jack Rakove declared Skousen’s work “a joke that no self-respecting scholar would think is worth a warm pitcher of spit.”

This lurch to the right by school boards is not limited to Mesa County in Colorado. Both Jefferson and Douglas Counties preceded Mesa in politicizing their school boards.

In other school districts around the country where Republicans dominate, similar plans to politicize the local school boards are also under way.

Education professor and philosopher Diane Ravitch describes this movement as “another kind of politics ... in which educational institutions become entangled in crusades marked by passionate advocacy, intolerance of criticism, and unyielding dogmatism, and in which the education of children is a secondary rather than a primary consideration.”

Watching partisan politicization consume the District 51 school board, it is impossible not to conclude, as Ravitch does, that “such crusades go beyond politics-as-usual, they represent the politicization of education” itself.

Bill Grant lives in Grand Junction. He can be reached at William.grant99@gmail.com.

Dear Member,

Between now and November 5th will be -  to say the least - busy.   Here’s what’s in store for us this week:

·         Many of the answers to your questions surrounding SB191 can be found here.  There has been one question about “How prepared do I need to be for my Professional Performance Plan (PPP) conference?” that is not currently on the FAQ document.  The short answer to that question is that you need to have reviewed your self-assessment and at least have some notes and ideas to begin developing your  PPP with your evaluator.    

·         To find out more about MVEA’s recommended candidates for our school board, please click here.   

·         Tonight at 6:00 p.m. is the first of several candidate forums.   It is being held in the CMU Ballroom on the corner of 12th and Elm.  Get there early to get a good seat.   Remember, democracy is a participatory sport!  Bring your family and show them what it is to be an engaged citizen.  Tomorrow’s news will largely be dictated by who cares enough to be in the audience tonight.  On a side note, Mr. Manning has agreed, on behalf of the Broncos, to save all of the excitement for after the forum.  Seriously, though, this will be done by 7:30 p.m.  There will be plenty of football left.    

·         There’s a thought-provoking Letter to the Editor that you can read here regarding our obligation/responsibility/privilege to provide ELL services.  It is the second entry under fellow member Jim Van Pelt’s blog entitled “Why the Internet was Invented”, a very worthy read, as well.   The cartoon Jim found to include in the blog is HILARIOUS!  Jim was asked to begin blogging on our site because, in his own words, he is “relentlessly pro-teacher and pro-education”.   How refreshing.  Check in regularly to read his ( and other members’) work.

·         Rocky Mountain PBS is screening "The Graduates" which looks at the pressing issues in education today are explored through the eyes of a diverse array of Latino and Latina adolescents from across the United States in this eye-opening documentary on the challenges facing both the students and their families.  It will be shown on Wednesday, October 16th in the Mesa County Library Community Room.   For more information, click here. 

·         If you have a student teacher, let them know that for a one-time $23 fee they can have legal protection (and all the other benefits of the Association) during the entire time of their student teaching AND that amount will be refunded them when they join as a employed teacher the following year.   It’s a no-brainer.    They sign up on the same form that all other members do, just attach a note they are a student member with their check for $23 (obviously, they won’t have a payroll deduction) and send it in to our office.  We will do the rest!

·         Reminder:  while candidates must come from the Area they represent, every voter will be voting for ALL MEMBERS of the school board.  

·         If you haven’t signed for volunteer training yet, please do so here.    Remember, it takes less than an hour,  you will get to personally meet the candidates, and dinner is provided for you and your family.  Plus, you will have all the tools needed to help with this election!   Ballots drop in 22 days…    

State and feds mandate 
English language programs

I read with keen interest the summary of comments made by school board candidate Pat Kanda at the recent coming-out party held for him and two other candidates at the Mesa County Republican Women’s ice cream social in Lincoln Park.

Kanda stated that he is unsure about the effectiveness of having an English as a second language program in local schools, and he feels sports fees aren’t covering as many costs as they should.

We might have had a lively discussion about the English Language Learner program and athletic fees, had I been invited to attend.

Republican Women’s President Linda Gregory indicated that a “subgroup” had spent two hours interviewing the candidates, apparently prior to endorsing them by inviting them to the ice cream “social.”

I was not invited, nor was I interviewed. Had I, as a candidate, been interviewed, a seemingly logical step prior to making endorsements in a nonpartisan race, I may have at least earned an invitation.

But failing that, perhaps I can make a comment here in a more open forum.

The English Language Learner program requirement comes from Title III of the “No Child Left Behind Act.” Its purpose is to ensure that every school district provides children identified with needing assistance in English language development with instruction that will allow them to achieve the same education standards and outcomes as we expect of their English-fluent peers.

ELL is a federal and state requirement and, when you think about it, really an imperative if we are to actually reach one of the great values of public education — providing a solid base for all children so that they can succeed in careers and as citizens.

Perhaps before voters are called upon to cast a ballot in the District 51 School Board races, all the candidates will have a chance to discuss educational issues in forums that allow voters to make informed choices.

JOHN WILLIAMS

School Board Candidate

District C

Dear Member,

Let’s get right to the update:

·         Your AR has some very interesting news surrounding the election.  Please speak with them today!  After speaking with  your AR, you will know the importance and significance of this link.  Please know there will be food available (i.e. pizza dinner), and this will be a family friendly environment. 

·         Speaking of elections,  it’s impossible to vote unless you are registered. Check your voter registration status and register to vote here .    

·         Listen to this Colorado Public Radio story, and then consider coming to "The Reformers" at  6:30pm on Monday, October 7th at the Mesa Theater and Club.  The filmmaker, Brian Malone, will be there to discuss his documentary.   To say this is timely and relevant is quite an understatement.  He is coming to Grand Junction for a reason. 

·         Several members have asked for the PowerPoint that was presented at the SB191/EE training.  It can be found here.   

·         Interested in reading about the use/misuse of student data in teacher evaluations?  Take a look at this article. 

·         MVEA receives $6 per year ($.50 per month) in what is called the Every Member Option (EMO).  This money allows us to promote and advocate for public education policy.  If you choose to have that money refunded to you ($6), that is absolutely your right. 

We are heading in a very good direction.   Remember to contact your AR today. 

Best,

Darren 

Dear Member,

Happy Monday to everyone!   Here is this week's update:

• The SB191/Educator Effectiveness training was a great experience!   We will be having Linda Barker back in December as we look toward mid-year reviews.   
• We need to know what kind of professional development you want.  Please give us your ideas here.  Also, if you'd like to serve on the Professional Development committee, please let Darren know at dcook@coloradoea.org.  
• Our monthly AR Council will be taking place this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in BTK Room A.  AR's will have an opportunity to share comments or concerns with their Area Director, so please let your AR know if there is something you want mentioned.  And speaking of AR's, BTK still needs an AR!  
• Click here to find out if your school won the volunteer turn out contest!  The school with the highest percentage of volunteers in each area wins.  Winners will have a pizza lunch brought to their building for members, courtesy of CEA.   The next step is to have all our volunteers go through a short training process where we will learn a two minute message, mail a few postcards, and receive candidate literature.  And, yes, there will be food and your children are more than welcome to attend!  You will be receiving an email asking you to confirm a training time shortly.  Oh, and it’s not too late to sign up to volunteer.   
• If you haven't taken advantage of the restaurant discounts for NEA members only, you should!  Click here and get a $25 gift certificate for $10 to several local restaurants. 
• There are a lot of questions surrounding what a grievance is and how our grievance procedure works.  Here is a step-by-step guide.  

Have a wonderful week!

Best,

Darren 

Dear Member,

Hopefully, everyone has had a fantastic start to their school year!   Your MVEA has a lot going on, so please scan through the bullets below:

• The AR Council was a huge success, with only two schools missing due to their Back to School nights.   Areas B, F, and H elected Area Directors.   We also have a new Secretary.  You have an excellent Executive Council with a great vision and action plan for the future of the MVEA.  
• Each building will have a "911 Emergency Meeting" in the next 10 days to bring everyone up to speed on the happenings in the School Board election.   Your AR will be in touch soon.   The building in each Area with the highest volunteer turnout will get a pizza lunch for all members at your school courtesy of CEA!  If everyone has 100% turnout, everyone gets a pizza lunch.  (We're not fooling around with this School Board election!)  To see how your school is doing, look here.  We will update it daily, so check back! 
• We have had 90 new members sign up this month with many of them being returning members, which is amazing!  But we're not done yet.  Make sure each potential member in your building takes a look at our website and watches the video of our members explaining what it means to be a member of the MVEA.  If they choose to sign up, make sure your name is listed on the bottom so we can send you $10 as a thank you.  Our association is able to do more and more to support our profession as we grow in membership!
• The SB191 Educator Effectiveness training on the 7th of September is quickly filling up.  We only have 21 spots left, so if you have had a few questions as you've worked your way through your self-assessment, you might want to sign up here.  It's free to members, and you will receive credit for 4 hours of Professional Development.  We intend to have monthly Professional Development opportunities this month, so be watching for more!
• We'll speak specifically about offers and promotions through MVEA and NEA in the future, but if you want to scan for some great savings opportunities, look here and here.   As an example, member Mary McGuire took advantage of the attorney referral program's two free thirty minute legal consultations per year, and then she used the information to negotiate a great settlement with an insurance agency offsetting many years of her membership dues.  
• No one has forgotten the negotiated settlement from last year that tied us getting the remainder of the 20% of our step to enrollment and grants.  We are keeping a careful eye on the counts and should be able to report out on it soon.   
• Do you have any students or families that need help?  Susana Wittrock with the Office for Advocacy, Outreach, and  Connections is coordinating with the many government and non-profit organizations around the valley to get students and families the help they need.   

Have a great week!