I am a teacher in this district. I love my school and the people I work with, including staff, students, and their families. I chose this district because of the community, collaboration and creativity I saw. I want to have a long career here, however, the road is getting bumpy.
Weld RE-4 school board members are coming out with statements about running schools like a business and keeping power-hungry teachers from taking over, among other disparaging views of our district’s educators.
To the first point, running schools like a business is not a new idea, nor has it been successful. Public education is designed for the betterment of society, not for turning a profit. Please read Jamie Vollmer’s “Blueberry Story” for a clear, concise explanation of why schools are not a business.
“Power-hungry” educators in Weld RE-4 are asking for a collective bargaining agreement. In short, a collective bargaining agreement gives educators an equal say in decision-making. It requires compromise and agreement between educators, and district administrators and school board members. Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. You cannot separate the two. If you want better for our students, our teachers also need better: better mental health support available at schools for our students; better curriculum decisions; more special education teachers to meet our students’ needs both in and out of the classroom; more self-directed plan time; better compensation for extra duties, committees and class coverage; and yes, higher salaries so we can continue working in this career and living in the community in which we teach.
Our school district has a positive history of cooperation with teachers, and in particular, the Windsor-Severance Education Association. Per board policy, we have used a process called Meet and Confer to ask for the highest priorities to better support students and educators. This process involves polling teachers anonymously, using that data to prioritize needs, and meeting with district administrators and representatives from the school board to present those needs. That is where our rights end. District administration and the school board are not required to find compromises that work for both sides or give us anything we ask for. They just have to listen.
Change is needed because school board members are coming out staunchly against educators and our right to have a say in our own working conditions. A collective bargaining agreement puts into legal terms the process of compromising with educators for students’ and teachers’ needs. It also shows how valued educator’s voices are in making decisions.
Educators have years of experience and often multiple degrees in our field, so I would like to make three important points:
• We are experts on what our students need in order to succeed. We are the ones doing the job day in and day out.
• You cannot be pro-student and anti-teacher. Student learning conditions are teacher working conditions.
• It is not power-hungry to want an equal say in decisions made about our students and ourselves.
So, Weld RE-4 voter, I encourage you to consider the educators you know. Maybe they’re neighbors and friends, or your child’s teachers and coaches. Consider their effect on students’ lives, on your child’s life. Consider whether you would trust their expertise to help make decisions about our district and our students, or leave all decision-making to school board members with no experience in education, who are making negative claims about the educators and district they represent. Finally, consider that it is time for a change, time to vote for someone who supports both students and teachers.
Kim Daniels is a Windsor resident.
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