IEA News

Schools drive Idaho’s economy

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:15 GMT

In nearly half of Idaho’s 44 counties, the local school district is the top employer in the county.

In Canyon County, three school districts (Nampa, Vallivue, and Caldwell) dominate the county’s Top 5 employers. In Bonneville County, the Idaho Falls and Bonneville districts hold down the top two spots. Even in Ada County – home to many top private employers, state government and Idaho’s largest university – the Meridian and Boise school districts rank in the Top 5.

Counties where a school district takes the top local employer spot include Blaine, Bonner, Bonneville, Boundary, Canyon, Cassia, Clearwater, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Lemhi, Lewis, Minidoka, Oneida, Teton, and Washington.

Sparsely populated Butte County – home to the massive Idaho National Laboratory site – is the only county in Idaho that does not have a school district among its Top 5 employers.

The facts are plain: Public schools are vital to our children’s education, obviously, but they also are major employers in every part of Idaho. This interactive map from StateImpact Idaho shows just how dominant public school jobs are in our state.

When it comes to driving Idaho’s future, public schools truly are our economic engine in more ways than one. Good schools help prepare our children for successful futures. Strong schools are a key consideration for companies seeking a good place to relocate or expand. And because most Idaho school employees earn low to moderate wages, they spend most of their paychecks, and they spend their money near home, helping other local employers save jobs.

Idaho school districts have seen three years of steep budget cuts, complicated by three new reform laws that force districts to shift funds out of teacher salaries to pay for bonuses and technology. (The Idaho Legislature may cover the $19.6 million shift for Fiscal Year 2013, but lawmakers did not cover the shift required for the current fiscal year.)

So it’s no surprise that dozens of school districts across Idaho will go to their local citizens this spring and ask for help to keep people on the job, keep class sizes manageable, keep school buses running, and keep school buildings repaired. Below is a list of districts seeking levies this spring, with a link for information when available.

Help save strong schools for our children and good jobs all across Idaho. Contact your local school district for information on where to vote March 13 or May 15.

Districts seeking levies or bonds on March 13, 2012

Aberdeen

Boise
Bonneville
Caldwell
Cassia County
Culdesac
Genesee
Grace
Hansen
Highland
Horseshoe Bend
Idaho Falls
Jerome
Kellogg
Kimberly
Lakeland
Meridian
Middleton
Minidoka
Mullan
Murtaugh
Nampa
Notus
Rockland
Salmon
Soda Springs
Sugar-Salem
Vallivue
Wallace
Weiser
West Side

Districts seeking levies or bonds May 15, 2012

Castleford
Central
Filer
Horseshoe Bend
Kamiah
Melba
Middleton
Mountain View (Grangeville-Kooskia)
Nez Perce
Potlatch
Prairie
Richfield
Salmon River
Shoshone
Troy
Valley
Wendell
Whitepine

Educators raise funds for kids, urge NO votes in November

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:55 GMT

A celebration of the past and rallying calls toward the future marked the Idaho Education Association’s Delegate Assembly April 20-21 at the Boise Centre on the Grove. About 450 educators representing 60 locals gathered to set policy, recognize their colleagues, toast the IEA’s 120th birthday, and raise nearly $20,000 for the IEA Children’s Fund.

The IEA honored Maria Greeley as its 2012 Friend of Education. Greeley was recognized for her work to help the recent Boise School District levy attain a 71 percent “yes” vote, as well as for serving as co-chair of Idaho Parents and Teachers Together, a grassroots group which worked last year to put all three 2011 education reform laws on the ballot in November 2012. During their business meeting, delegates unanimously agreed to talk with family and friends to generate the “No” votes necessary on Propositions 1, 2 and 3 to overturn the laws and start a true conversation about education reform in Idaho.

Calling the new laws “incoherent,” IEA President Penni Cyr noted that the 2012 Idaho Legislature considered 16 bills in attempts to clean up the 2011 legislative mess. Referring to a deal that allowed lawmakers to claim they had fixed the education funding gap, Cyr said the action “mandates that nothing will be paid for – not transportation, not textbooks, not supplies, not gifted programs, not salaries – nothing, until the items mandated by last year’s bills are funded.”

Delegates also heard from first-grade teacher Erin Lenz of Coeur d’Alene, who was selected by the State Department of Education as Idaho’s 2012 Teacher of the Year. Lenz credited the labor movement for giving her own family strength, as well as for making America’s middle class strong. “For decades, union members have been the backbone of America. From Detroit to Hollywood to Pittsburgh to Boise, it has been union members who have kept us safe, responded to our emergencies, delivered the mail, assembled the automobiles, erected the buildings, built our dams, roads and bridges, and taught America’s children,” Lenz said. “I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of belonging to a strong union.”

Rep. Brian Cronin (D-Boise) addressed delegates on Saturday morning. “Teaching must be treated as an elevated profession and the most serious of endeavors,” he said. “I fail to see how blaming teachers for all of our society’s woes – from the loss of global dominance to our greed induced, economically ruinous, depraved financial system on Wall Street – moves us in that direction or even contributes to an honest conversation. We want the best and the brightest – what (Superintendent Tom) Luna calls high-performing teachers – and yet we create policies that say, in effect, teachers should be seen and not heard.”

Delegates raised $19,087 for the IEA Children’s Fund in just two days. Teachers can access the fund to help students who face extraordinary needs including clothing, food, school supplies or health care.

Here's news coverage of Delegate Assembly from Boise State Public Radio and Public News Service.

IEA honors Maria Greeley as 2012 Friend of Education

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:44 GMT

For her work building community coalitions to stand for strong Idaho schools, Maria Greeley won the Idaho Education Association’s 2012 Friend of Education Award. But Greeley chose to turn the tables and honor several significant educators in accepting the honor at the awards luncheon during Delegate Assembly in Boise on April 20.

Greeley (center in the photo at left) is co-chair of Idaho Parents and Teachers Together, the parent-led coalition that placed the 2011 education laws on the November 2012 ballot as Propositions 1, 2, and 3. She was nominated for the Friend of Education award by the Boise Education Association in recognition of her work to pass the March 2012 Boise School District levy, which wound up getting a 71 percent “yes” vote.

The Boise mother of four said that when her children were young, “I felt like a hero, responsible for all they knew.” But after they started school, Greeley added, “I remember the day the teacher got credit” for imparting knowledge. “I made me realize how significant teachers are.”

For years, Greeley had actively volunteered at Grace Jordan Elementary School, but she was not politically active. That changed in 2011 when she became alarmed at the arrogance and lack of knowledge driving the misguided education legislation passed that year. Greeley said she felt moved to defend educators because they are our children’s heroes. She introduced Nancy Smith, who taught all four of her children; Jenny Gibbons, whose teaching skills she watched in awe as an art parent; and school principal Tim Lowe, “who makes Grace Jordan feel like a home. Thank you all for being an inspiration and for being all of our children’s heroes.”

Others honored at the 2012 awards luncheon included:

Luke Franklin, winner of the Shane Anderson Outstanding Member Award, honored for his work as president of the Meridian Education Association. Franklin thanked his parents and brother “who have given me a sense of justice” and all IEA members “who chose to stay and fight when the chips were down. I dedicate this award to all of you who chose to stick with your union.”
Tawni Berryman-Hull, who received the Edythe Crowe Educational Support Professional Award in recognition of her work on the Meridian EA’s Organizing for Power and Living Wage campaigns. Berryman-Hull said that although times are tough for Idaho educators, the current battles might be a wake-up call “to help us remember why we are a union.”
Myrna Guthrie, honored with the Larry Caldwell Member Advocacy Award for her work in standing up to unfair practices at Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter School in Idaho Falls. Guthrie described herself as “a background kind of girl,” noting that It’s easy to stay on the sidelines, but when you notice injustice affecting the people you love, “it’s time to step forward.”

The Awards Committee put out an early call for people to be thinking of nominees for the awards to be given at the 2013 Delegate Assembly and for regions to form committees to submit nominations. Nine awards are available for members who have made special contributions to the cause of public education over an extended time, but especially in the coming year. Nomination forms will be sent to Region Presidents and Local Presidents in the fall, and they’ll also be available on the IEA website. Nominations will be due early in 2013 and the Awards Committee will make its recommendations to the IEA Board of Directors in February of next year.

Lawmaker: Idaho must value education - and educators

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:35 GMT

The following are the prepared remarks from Rep. Brian Cronin (D-Boise), who addressed the Idaho Education Association Delegate Assembly on April 21, 2012. Rep. Cronin, who will not seek re-election to the Idaho Legislature this year, has been one of the most compelling voices against the 2011 education refom laws that will be on the Idaho ballot in November 2012 as Propositions 1, 2, and 3. A No vote on the propositions will overturn the laws.

Hello, educators! It’s always such a pleasure to be amongst friends. Friends who do the most important work on earth.

I was originally scheduled to be here at 9 o'clock, but I asked Robin if I could push it back a few hours. The reason is because just weeks after the close of the legislative session, I find myself as a soccer coach for a group of ten third-grade girls and we had a game this morning at 9.

This wasn’t actually a job that I sought out. In fact, I resisted the idea. It’s true that part of the reason I’ve chosen not to run for re-election this year is because I wanted to spend more time with my family and be more available for activities such as this with my children. Still, there’s a fairly drawn-out psychological hangover that comes at the end of each grueling legislative session and I wasn’t quite ready to jump in to a big commitment so soon. But when seemingly no other parent was available to do the job and the options were for the team to disband or me to coach, I begrudgingly agreed to do it. I’ve since gotten help from two other parents, which has made it a bit easier.

I tell you this because the experience has dredged up memories of the early days of my relatively short teaching career. And the lessons that I’m learning (or perhaps relearning) as I’m coaching this group of girls seem relevant to the ongoing public dialogue we are having about public education these days.

It turns out I’m probably a mediocre soccer coach at best. Which is troubling, because really I don’t like to be mediocre at anything. And it’s particularly troubling because I happen to love the game of soccer and, in fact, played for my entire youth and adolescence. I know the game of soccer. I really like kids. I obviously love my daughters, who are on the team. And I love getting outside and doing something that doesn’t involve a computer, a desk, a phone, or politicians.

But here’s the thing—all of these factors don’t make me a great soccer coach. Because I’ve never coached before. And because the team came together late and I committed to coaching late, I’ve received no training. Since starting the season, I’ve received no support or even a “Hey, how’s it going?” from the league director, who actually had the audacity to refer to our team as “The Bad News Bears,” in an email. And although I think I have a good understanding of the game, I’ve never taught it to nine-year-olds. And it turns out there’s a lot to learn.

Now the girls are terrific and I’ve been impressed with how they’ve jelled as a team. A few have played together before. But half of them (five out of the ten) had never played organized soccer before this month. Which is to say, in case the comparison isn’t obvious, not every child comes to the field with the same level of preparation. And yet we work with what we’re given and make the best out of the talent that is there.

At our practice this past Wednesday, things didn’t go very well. The girls were more focused on the boys playing football on the adjacent field than on passing drills. We tried some new drills and it was as if we had explained them in Chinese. They seemed bored, listless, and/or confused. And though we’d had some a few good practices previously that felt really positive, this was not one of them. And I stood out on the field wondering why things weren’t clicking and suddenly began to remember what it sometimes felt like as a first-year teacher.

This is all a roundabout way of saying that working with our society’s most precious assets—our children—is rarely easy. And no matter how smart one is, no matter how committed one is, no matter how badly one wants those children to learn and succeed, such success as a teacher does not come overnight and rarely comes naturally. I’m certain that many people in this room have a knack, a gift—you’ve rightly responded to a calling. But it’s a rare educator who masters the craft without significant experience, trial and error, formal and informal training and professional development, support and mentoring, and some hard knocks along the way. And I don’t know of any educator who gets to choose which students will show up in their classroom or select what types of home circumstances they come from.

And it’s these simple realities that American society seems to have lost sight of as we find ourselves awash in rhetoric about various ill-defined and in some cases imagined crises and the alleged urgency of “reform.”

Education is a profession, first and foremost. It is a noble profession. And it is a demanding profession. And it is a profession that requires high levels of training, practice, and skill. This isn’t the rec soccer league. And so the moment we start comparing our teachers to the teachers of the rest of the world, and the moment we start comparing our students’ test scores to their counterparts in Finland and Korea, we need to consider to what degree our educators receive the respect, societal status, compensation, and working conditions that they need to succeed—in other words, to what extent they’re treated as professionals—vis-à-vis educators in these countries that are now supposedly beating us. That’s a comparison that many of these supposed reformers don’t want to draw.

Teaching must be treated as an elevated profession and the most serious of endeavors. And I fail to see how blaming teachers for all of our society’s woes—from the loss of global dominance to our greed induced, economically ruinous, depraved financial system on Wall Street—moves us in that direction or even contributes to an honest conversation. We want the best and the brightest—what Mr. Luna calls high-performing teachers—and yet we create policies that say, in effect, teachers should be seen and not heard. Education policy is made without educators. In any other context, such an approach would be considered absurd. I defy anyone to find a single piece of insurance legislation that we’ve passed in the state of Idaho—and believe me, we vote on a lot of insurance legislation—that was written without ever consulting with anyone in the insurance industry.

We say we want high-performing teachers and give lip service to how important our teachers are and then send the exact opposite message when we cut salaries and aggravate already challenging school conditions by reducing district funding for training, mentoring, new text books, counselors, school resource officers, arts and music programs, etc.

I realize I’m preaching to the choir with all of this. What we all must recognize is that the things that may be intuitively obvious to us are not always so to the public, for whom we operate a system of public schools. The very notion of free public schools that serve a societal purpose and the common good is under siege. And it is incumbent upon on all of us to re-educate our friends and neighbors about why a system of education that has been for so many years the envy of the world must be fiercely defended. And supported. And financed.

Contrary to the so-called reformers, whose voices--amplified by powerful and monied interests—seem to drown out all others, I don’t believe that our fundamental problem is an achievement gap. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. Does the pace of societal change and the global economy compel us to elevate our game, retool where needed, and recalibrate our expectations? Of course. But we can’t look at student achievement in a vacuum. More than an achievement gap, we face a resource gap—one that’s rooted in cynicism, false choices, and for some, a desire to completely dismantle public education as we know it.

Many of my colleagues love to recite the old bromide that there’s no correlation between what you spend on education and outcomes. To that, I say, “Nonsense!” Can you imagine if our country’s leaders had employed such reasoning and rhetoric during the Cold War? “We don’t have to outspend the Russians—we’ll just do more with less, utilize our resources more efficiently, and focus on how we get rid of all our under-performing soldiers.” Resources matter and our commitment to identifying and marshaling the resources needed to meet the growing demands of the global economy is dwindling.

Perhaps you’ve seen a report that was recently released from Mike Ferguson, who served as the state’s chief economist for several decades. His report demonstrates, using a variety of data, that state support for public education has declined significantly in the last 12 years. Since 2000 Idaho public school spending dropped from 4.4 percent of personal income during the '80s and '90s to 3.4 percent of personal income. This is a staggering 23 percent reduction. Mr. Ferguson also draws attention to the very disturbing and possibly unconstitutional trend we see around supplemental levies and the ever-growing gap between the haves have have-not districts.

This year, which of course is an election year, you’ll hear the vast majority of legislators patting themselves on the back and boasting about the fact that schools got an increase this year. It was ever so slight, but they’re beaming with pride because they’ve barely reversed what was a devastating trendline over the last several years. But please do not let legislators off the hook with this deceptive shell game and funny math. We are still more than $100 million dollars behind where we were four years ago. And the needs haven’t diminished, nor has enrollment.

I’ve witnessed and concluded that there is currently a lack of will to do what truly needs to be done to address questions of inequity across the state and to make the proper and necessary investments in our young people so that we can secure a bright economic future for Idaho, ensure that our children are prepared for a rapidly changing world, and allow our children to pursue a post-secondary education and find good jobs here when they come out.

So, what to do?

Without a doubt, the referenda to overturn the Luna laws are central to your discussions this weekend. A massive mobilization of pro-public education forces is imperative and those of you here today must lead the way. This is a critical opportunity to send a clear and unequivocal message to the Statehouse—in ways that no amount of emails, calls, or committee testimony ever could—that enough is enough. A message that says that people will no longer stand by as the Legislature and the Executive Branch wages an all-out assault on our public school system, farming out the work of our constitutionally mandated obligations to the highest bidders.

We must make it clear that we will not accept a so-called reform plan that demoralizes and scapegoats educators, swaps teachers for laptops, and advances educational ideas that are unproven, ill-conceived, and ultimately have very little to do with students, their achievement, and the challenge of getting more high school graduates to go on to college. And finally, we must send the message that making education policy without involving educators is the height of arrogance and stupidity.

Remember the overwhelming opposition that was expressed by so many Idahoans of every political stripe and from every corner of the state to Students Come First last year? We now have a golden opportunity to prove to those who would not listen to reason, would not listen to constituents, and would not listen to the experts that there is a price to be paid for dismissing the public and the popular sentiment on policy matters where there is so much at stake.

Now don’t kid yourselves. This campaign will not be easy. Gobs of special interest money will flow into the referendum opposition effort. We will see some yoga-like stretching of the truth. We will see nasty innuendo and outright lies about who the IEA is and what the organization stands for.

The stakes are very high. But I see this campaign as the only way we can begin to reverse our current course, hold lawmakers accountable for their thoughtless votes and their adherence to party line over prudent policy, and begin the conversation on what our schools and children really need anew. It’s our chance to hit the reset button and hopefully give educators their rightful seat at the table as we move into the future.

It should be noted that we also have several educators who are running for office this year, which I’m very happy about. And there are candidates running for re-election who remain steadfast supporters of public education. We need to get out and support them—financially and in terms of your time.

This has the potential to be a transformational election, a watershed year, one for the history books. But no history will be made unless the supporters of public education engage in this election in an unprecedented way. This campaign will be won not on the airwaves but in the conversations that take place on front porches, neighborhood meetings, coffee shops, civic organizations and anywhere else you can share ideas with others who may not be equipped with all the information they need to cast a sensible vote. This campaign will only work with a massive grassroots effort that will have to involve many more than those who are present in this room today. I believe that this organization can and must pull off such an enormous effort.

And finally, let me just express my sincere and utmost gratitude to the IEA for all the support you’ve given me over the years.

Many of you may not know that I ran in 2004 for the first time and lost in a three-way primary. I was relatively new to politics and perhaps even a bit naive. And I was running against two people whom I respected very much—people who were also strong public education advocates. I remember telling those BEA members who conducted my candidate interview that there was no endorsement that meant more to me than that of the Education Association. One of the most memorable highlights and notable victories in that campaign was in gaining the support the IEA that year.

It meant the world to me then. It still means the world to me now.

Please know that although I’m not running for re-election this year, I have every intention of remaining engaged in this critical fight for public education and for the future of our state. For now, it won’t be from within the House of Representatives but I will continue to pursue ways to advocate for my children, for all of our children, and for you. I know that it’s those children that drive you to do what you do—despite all the obstacles the state throws in your way.

Together we will defend the precious institutions of public education that have distinguished this great country and this state for so long. We will continue to uphold and validate the critically important work that you do and ensure that education continues to be regarded as our most urgent mission and the most noble profession. THANK YOU.

Cyr: Educators must take back ‘reform’

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:19 GMT

The following are prepared remarks as delivered by Idaho Education Association President Penni Cyr today to the IEA's 120th Delegate Assembly in Boise.

Thank you. Thank you! What a wonderful celebration! Please join me in thanking Sherri and Jim, Lyn, Bob, Gayle and the entire history task force; Jennifer Stevens, our amazing author; the members of the IEA choir and John McCrostie, their conductor…what a wonderful tribute to our association, to IEA’s history and to our future!

I am so excited that YOU are the first ones to see this book.This beautiful and powerful book details the struggles and triumphs educators have waged to bring excellence in public education to Idaho. It is such an important document for our members. I have long advocated for writing our history – at the local level as well as the state level. And I know everyone who reads this book will be empowered, encouraged and will find the determination to carry on as we face the threats to public education in Idaho together.

We do stand on the shoulders of very great people … those who have fought long and hard through the years to make public education in Idaho the best it can be for our children and for those of us who teach them. It is our turn now to go forward, to proudly carry the torch lit by our fore-fathers and mothers and continue fighting for uniform, thorough, and free public schools as guaranteed by the Idaho Constitution for every child in our state.

The Idaho Education Association has been the professional organization for teachers in Idaho for 120 years and we are the only professional organization that stands up for educators’ interests and the interests of Idaho’s children. IEA empowers its members to speak out for our students and our colleagues. IEA has and will always “fight for high quality and equal educational opportunities for all of Idaho’s children.” And since the beginning of this association, the IEA has advocated for educators being treated as professionals.

We all know teaching and public education are political. This was never more clear than during the 2011 legislative session when sweeping education “reforms” were passed by the Idaho Legislature at the urging of Superintendent Luna … reforms that educators and parents and community members overwhelmingly opposed.

While some of our colleagues would rather not have to deal with politics, politics are as much a fact of life for teachers now in the 21st century as they have always been. One of the many lessons we learn from our history is that the battle for quality public schools and teachers being regarded as professionals has always been political no matter who was governor or superintendent of schools. If our predecessors had not been willing to engage in the political process, we would not be here today.

It is inescapable. Everything we do, from the supplies we purchase to how we configure our classrooms is done because of decisions made by the legislature and your local school board, and by school funding. Hundreds of you spent many evenings, afternoons, and weekends last spring calling and emailing legislators, coming to Boise to testify, planning and attending rallies and vigils and weekend meet-and-greets for lawmakers … because you care about public education and you care about the success of Idaho’s kids.

Even after the legislature passed the three incoherent, harmful education laws that take away teachers’ voices, base bonuses on standardized test scores, and start the privatization of public education, you continued to fight. Last spring, our members and the public were more engaged than I’ve seen in the past 20 years … and together we gathered 75,000 signatures, almost twice as many as we needed, in 40 days, to put these laws to a vote of Idaho citizens … because we know they are certainly not good for kids and they aren’t good for educators either!

Even the legislators know they screwed up. Legislators spent the 2012 session futilely scrambling to patch over the laws’ most glaring defects. Lawmakers called them “tweaks.” At least 16 bills were introduced to attempt to clean up the mess made by the three bills. Again, at the risk of repeating myself, if legislators had listened last year to their constituents – the people of Idaho – they would not have been working so hard this year to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!

Despite all the tweaking, these laws represent the triumph of top-down government over local control. They mandate how school boards will spend state education dollars. They strip teachers’ voices from any discussion with their trustees and administrators about what is best for the students of their communities, and they tie pay-for-performance bonuses to test scores – tests that were never intended for such a purpose.

Even up to the last days of the 2012 legislative session, the contortions continued as lawmakers tried to “fix” the laws. The “going home” deal included a bill that continues to fund bonuses before base salaries and technology before manageable class sizes. Although it removed 2011’s mandated salary shifts and offered faster growth on the state’s salary schedule for teacher minimum salaries, it does nothing for experienced teachers and it starves the salary schedule by failing to increase the base. The statement of purpose for this bill makes its priorities plain: “…prior to funding increases for any other items within the Public Schools budget” the mandates from the education laws will be funded first. Let me be perfectly clear: This “last minute deal” mandates that NOTHING will be paid for … not transportation, not textbooks, not supplies, not gifted programs, not salaries … nothing, until the items mandated by last year’s bills are funded.

These laws and repeated budget cuts have sent class sizes in our schools to the roof and attempt to make a mockery out of the teaching profession by implying teachers can be replaced by computers. Teachers are leaving, and they are not just leaving Idaho. They are leaving our profession because they and their profession have been disrespected. Many teachers are looking for new careers, not because they don’t care deeply for the children they teach, but because these demoralizing laws have taken the joy out of teaching and have debased the profession.

We just celebrated IEA’s 120th birthday, but this year may well become the most important year in the history of the Idaho Education Association. The battle we are facing is the most challenging battle our generation of members has ever faced. And make no mistake, the stakes are high.

Our opponents have a very focused and disciplined message. They repeatedly tell the public that:

• “Schools are failing.”
• “Teachers are to blame.”
• “Unions protect the status quo.”
• “Technology and “devices,” online education and canned curriculum is the answer.”
• “For-profit corporations “do” education better.”
• “Chaos will reign if the laws are repealed.”

But you know and I know that chaos is happening now, chaos created by the Luna laws and decreased funding for public education since 2009. Chaos is having 50 or 60 kids in a history class or 27 first graders in one room with or without an assistant. Chaos is kids traveling to and from school events by themselves, and districts increasingly requiring kids to “pay-to-play” sports or to take part in other school activities. Chaos is having our best and brightest educators “cherry-picked” to work in neighboring states and young educators leaving for other careers where they will be respected and paid a professional wage. Chaos is 1,200 Idaho teachers leaving the profession for “personal reasons,” and chaos is the need for more and more of our communities to turn to taxing themselves rather than see their children’s education suffer as the state continually decreases public school funding.

Every child deserves a caring, competent teacher who has time to ensure they succeed. Every child deserves a curriculum, delivered by highly qualified teachers, that challenges their thinking and moves them beyond rote learning, which is often what is offered by online course providers.

Unless we are advocates for our profession, we will continue to lose excellent teachers. The fact of the matter is, we have a responsibility to diligently guard our profession as we do our children. Our critics say we don’t want “reform,” but they are wrong. Since 1894, members of our association have fought for educational opportunities for all children, adequate funding for our public schools, and formalized, professional training and higher qualifications for teachers to “ensure that those who chose teaching as a career would be the best people to educate students.” Even now as we fight what is wrong, we must continue to advocate for what is right! We need to take charge of our profession. We need to OWN education reform in Idaho. We need to take back the word “reform” and put in the hands of teachers and education support professionals and parents and community members who know what every student needs to be successful.

As someone recently told me, “Even Muhammad Ali got knocked on his ass a couple times, but he never gave up. He kept on fighting.” We can’t win every battle, but we can’t win any battles if we don’t keep on fighting.
I reject the notion that we will continually need to do more with less. It is our job to educate the public about why the legislature must invest in the priorities that build the foundation for student learning.

It is our job to continue to educate, activate, and engage the public and our members now to fight for a quality, public education for every child. We all need to tell our stories, to share what is happening in our schools, to show the chaos that exists because of funding cuts and ill-conceived “reform.” It is our job to educate the public about the importance of smaller class sizes, early childhood education, and the need for students to take courses in the arts and physical education and history and civics. It is our job to demand that our students have access to up-to-date textbooks and computers.

We know every child deserves highly qualified teachers, and our history shows us that is what members have demanded for the past 120 years. We know these laws will not help Idaho attract and retain the best teachers to serve our children. Education IS NOT just another business; the education of our children should not be a master check list of skills … once taught, check it off! Our children’s futures are at stake. Idaho’s kids are not widgets meant to serve a profit-driven business model. They need and deserve talented teachers who can help them develop the collaboration and communication skills they will need to succeed face-to-face as well as online in the 21st century.

Thank you all for the deep respect and dedication you show to your students, to our profession, and to the IEA each and every day. We all belong to the greatest and most important profession; the teaching profession creates all other professions. We cannot let others destroy the quality education system that members who came before us helped to build.

Beginning today, we must engage our members and the public to defeat the “so-called” education reform laws passed last year. This will be one of our greatest challenges, but our history confirms that we are up to the challenge! We must work to educate everyone to vote NO on Propositions 1, 2, and 3 in November and repeal these laws.

We have the capacity to achieve great results, and I look forward to unleashing our energy in the months ahead. It’s time to get busy. We must unite in our purpose and immediately – today – re-engage in the work of organizing and motivating our members and building stronger and larger community coalitions with parents, grandparents, business owners, and community leaders who can help us bring real, meaningful education reform to Idaho in 2012 and beyond.

It’s the right thing to do for Idaho’s public schools and it is the right thing to do for our children. As Dennis Van Roekel says and I believe too, I became an IEA member because the “union” gave me a voice and it helped me become a better teacher. That is why I think we all, ultimately, came to the IEA…to be heard; to make a difference for our schools and our students; to professionalize our profession.

Remember, as the Lorax says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

We cannot let our voices be silenced now ... or ever!

Lenz: Teachers are part of America’s backbone

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:49 GMT

The following are remarks prepared for delivery by 2012 Idaho Teacher of the Year, who addressed her fellow Idaho Education Association members today at the IEA's 120th Delegate Assembly in Boise.

Good morning! I am so honored to be here today to speak with you. It is exciting to be in a room with so many dedicated, committed professionals that share the same passion of teaching tomorrow’s future. I have no doubt, Idaho teachers are some of the best in the nation. Each day we step into the classroom to teach children to the best of our abilities. We go the extra mile to make sure our students receive a quality education. We teach, encourage, coach, parent, counsel, and support. We have high expectations for ourselves and our students. We give of ourselves until there is little energy left and then we get up the next day and do it all over again. And why…because we know, we make a difference in the lives of children.

Thirty five years ago, I graduated from high school at the age of 17. Since college was not encouraged by my parents and family tradition was to marry early, that’s what I did, two weeks after I graduated from high school. By the age of 22, I had three children. Sound like a recipe for disaster? Well, it didn’t turn out that way. This June, my husband and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We have three grandchildren and we continue to be a close knit family. I’m telling you this for a specific purpose. While there is more than one factor involved, one reason for success is the fact that my husband has been a union member for 35 years and his union wages and benefits gave us the solid foundation we needed to raise a family.

For decades, union members have been the backbone of America. From Detroit to Hollywood to Pittsburgh to Boise, it has been union members who have kept us safe, responded to our emergencies, delivered the mail, assembled the automobiles, erected the buildings, built our dams, roads and bridges, and taught America’s children. I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of belonging to a strong union. My family is an example of what unions have done for our nation. In fact, I would not have attended college to become a teacher without my husband’s ability to provide for our family as a result of being paid a fair living wage.

I began teaching eleven years ago after working four years as a paraprofessional. My journey to become an educator began with a chance encounter. Someone I barely knew told me that I should become a teacher. I jokingly told her that was a dream left behind a long time ago. To my surprise, this woman, who happened to be a second grade teacher, was persistent in encouraging me to apply for an aide position in our local school district. Her consistent belief in my abilities gave me the confidence to do what she asked. Lo and behold, I was hired and my life has never been the same.

As educators, each of us has a passion that we share with each other and the children we teach. My passion happens to be working with beginning and struggling readers. I believe reading is an essential skill for success in school and in society. Illiteracy has a devastating and costly effect on all of us. Research connects illiteracy to the likelihood of dropping out of high school; being incarcerated; being unemployed; and it is a drain on national, state, and local economies. It is frustrating that illiteracy still persists when there is a wealth of knowledge and research available to prevent reading failure.

For those of you who work with struggling readers, you understand how heartbreaking it is to work with children who with each passing year become more defeated when their efforts to read go unrewarded. Witnessing this heartbreak has been a driving force for me as a teacher. Over the years, I have been purposeful in gaining knowledge about teaching reading and implementing changes in the daily routines of the school system. I wanted to reduce the likelihood of students leaving elementary school unable to read.

I certainly did not do this in a vacuum though. My colleagues at Winton Elementary School, a staff of dedicated educators, like all of you, have given their time, energy, and resources to ensure success for all of our students. In fact, one of those teachers is here today, Kim Youngman. I know Kim will agree with me when I say, Winton has a distinctive staff of educators in that despite differences in opinion and perspectives our entire staff works together as a team to reach our goals. We support each other through good times and bad. We share resources and ideas. We take care of one another. And through it all, we have each other’s backs.

Our willingness to work together has proven to be successful. For the past two years, over 90% of our students have scored proficient or advanced on the Reading, Math, and Language Usage ISATS. When you take into account nearly 65% of our students are on free and reduced lunch, you can appreciate how excited and proud we have been over those accomplishments.

Unfortunately, it has recently been decided that our principal, the leader of our team, will be transferred to another school in our district next year. This was a disappointing decision to our staff, parents, and students. We have felt a range of emotions from being intensely angry to being extremely discouraged. It would be easy to give up and lose that cohesiveness that has gotten us through many storms before. Working together as a team has been our strength. We cannot abandon that now.
Change is inevitable. It is usually hard, messy, and frustrating. It can be divisive and life changing. Education is in the middle of such a change.

As educators, we are faced with a daunting task. How do we continue to teach children with all the energy and passion needed and fight those who attack our profession? How can we be innovative in meeting the challenges of 21st Century classrooms when some of education’s stakeholders refuse to acknowledge our voices? What will we do to combat the corrosive discouragement amongst teachers that has eaten away at morale and has driven some to leave the profession? I wish these problems were easy to solve but there isn’t a simple solution. It will take hard work and perseverance to overcome them.

I think of those who have overcome struggles in the past. I think of those who have stayed determined even at the darkest hour, those who have shared their passionate beliefs to encourage others, and those who stand strong with one another. Margaret Meade stated, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

When I am at my lowest point, discouraged and disillusioned with little energy left, I think of the children I educate and advocate for. I think of those moments when something I have said or did improves the life of a child. You know those moments. They are the ones you keep in your heart, no one else knows about them not even the child you just impacted. I also think of my colleagues who depend on me as an integral part of team. I have a responsibility to be there when they need me, to let them help me when I am down, and to share my passions with them. These two thoughts, the children I teach and the colleagues I work with keep me coming back day after day.

Teaching is a challenging and tough profession, yet one of the most rewarding. If we are judged by the company we keep, I am honored to be in the company of so many fine professionals. I am proud to be an educator. I am proud to be a member of the Idaho Education Association. I am honored to represent Idaho teachers.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today and thank you most of all, for all you do for Idaho children!

Idaho educators gather in Boise

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:51 GMT

More than 400 Idaho educators will be in Boise April 20-21 for the annual Idaho Education Association Delegate Assembly.

In March, the IEA marked its 120th anniversary of working on behalf of Idaho children and the teaching profession. Delegates will celebrate this milestone and be among the first to have a chance to buy a newly published book commemorating the organization’s first 120 years.

Educators will hear from several special speakers including fellow member Erin Lenz of Coeur d’Alene, the 2012 Idaho Teacher of the Year; IEA President Penni Cyr; and retiring lawmaker Rep. Brian Cronin (D-Boise). They’ll also be honoring Maria Greeley of Idaho Parents and Teachers Together, who along with co-chair Mike Lanza is leading the referendum campaign to overturn the 2011 education reform laws via Propositions 1, 2 and 3 on the November ballot. Greeley will be honored for her efforts to help pass the Boise School District levy in March.

A giant “Thank Idaho Educators” card will be on display with tributes to favorite educators from around the state and beyond. Several smaller cards will travel back from the convention so Idahoans around the state can add their thanks, too.

Delegates will also raise money for the IEA Children’s Fund, which helps educators meet emergency needs of children in our schools.

WHO: 400+ statewide members of the Idaho Education Association

WHAT: 120th Delegate Assembly

WHEN: Friday, April 20 – Saturday, April 21

WHERE: Boise Centre, 850 W. Front Street, Boise

2012 Idaho Legislature in review

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:36 GMT

The 2012 Idaho Legislature wrapped up on Thursday, March 29, but the reviews are still coming in. Here are some interesting links to analysis about the session's impact, lawmakers' unfinished business, and some prognosticating for 2013:

Five observers from across the political spectrum sound off - Idaho Statesman

From an uproar to a whimper - Ridenbaugh Press

Small changes make the biggest differences for most Idahoans - Betsy Russell, Spokesman-Review

Idaho Reports

What passed this year? Here's the full list of bills.

Classroom grants help new educators

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:27 GMT

The Idaho Education Association congratulates the April 2012 winners of the Cold Hard Cash drawing. They are:

Nicole Billiard - Wendell Education Association

Lisa Marie Lopez - Bruneau/Grandview Education Association

Michelle McNew - Pocatello Education Association

Sara Schmoe - Lakeland Education Association

Jake Smulkowski - Post Falls Education Association

Jodi Stratton - Pocatello Education Association

Next month is the last month this school year for the drawing. If you are a teacher who has been on the job five years or less, you can win $50 to help fund your classroom project. Learn more and enter here.

Give students a first leg up into the world of work

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:34 GMT

Although Idaho’s economy is gradually improving, Idaho still has a higher unemployment rate than the national average, and teens and young adults have been hit particularly hard. (The jobless rate for Idahoans ages 16-19 in 2011 was 30 percent, 5 percent higher than the national average.) Here, we present several news items from the Idaho Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor on ways that educators can help their students and other young adults in their lives gain access to a difficult job market.

Future Ready website
describes emerging jobs

A new curriculum packet designed to help students make informed decisions about their careers and life’s work is available for download from the Student section of labor.idaho.gov/futureready. The curriculum packet includes ready-to-go lesson plans, career cards, infographics and involves accessing two websites complete with career ladders and lattices.

The career cards highlight 48 occupations in renewable, efficient and alternative energies, waste management, sustainable agriculture, and natural resources – jobs heavy in occupations involving science, technology, engineering, and math – as examples. The cards also provide quick reference data such as Holland Codes, wages, employment outlook, helpful high school courses, and the skills and abilities needed to pursue the occupation. Each career card also includes an indicator to identify which are considered green and/or STEM occupations.

The infographics are poster size and available for download to use with existing lessons and to develop new lessons. Topics include: What is a Green Job in Idaho? The Economic Impact of Green Jobs in Idaho, and Education in Idaho .
The Future Ready website also features six videos on occupations in the emerging green economy and details about scores of green occupations and dozens of green industries. For more information about the curriculum and how to access the career cards, contact Christie Stoll at (208) 332-3570.

Skills to Pay the Bills

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has announced the release of "Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success," a collection of career development exercises and activities designed to help sharpen the communication and other "soft" skills of young workers, including those with disabilities.

The curriculum – which covers communication, networking, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, and professionalism – is based on the results of a survey of prominent businesses to determine what they believe to be the most important competencies and skills for young workers. According to recent surveys, nearly three-quarters of employers indicated high school graduates were deficient in such basic skills as punctuality, verbal communication, and working productively with others. Businesses across the nation have identified soft skills as crucial to the hiring and employment success of all workers.

"Dressing appropriately, showing up on time, and networking with co-workers are all crucial to finding and keeping a job," said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "For many young people these skills are not intuitive. We hope educators, human resource professionals, job clubs, and faith-based organizations will use the curriculum to help our youth build the skills to succeed in the workplace."

Available in English and Spanish, "Skills to Pay the Bills" was field-tested by youth service professionals and students across the country. The Massachusetts Migrant Education Program tested the materials in Spanish and seven other locations tested them in English. "The Soft Skills activities are fabulous," said Virginia Dever, a facilitator from Louisville, Ky. "It is our obligation to teach our youth what is needed to succeed in life and in work, and these Soft Skills exercises fit the bill." Brandon Pursley, a student from Madison, Fla., who used the curriculum and also designed its cover art, said that learning these skills "was an experience going beyond my dreams."

Visit ODEP's website for more information and to download the curriculum in English or Spanish.

Low-income teens land jobs
as digital learning coaches

Last summer, Levi Burklund, 17, worked a summer job as a digital literacy coach at the Caldwell Public Library where he offered individual assistance to library patrons with questions about how to use computers and what online education, job search and training programs are available.

At a time when it is notoriously hard for teens to find work, Burklund and 11 others were placed for the first time in public libraries throughout Idaho as digital literacy coaches. The national unemployment rate for young people 16 to 19 was more than 25 percent last August. Hosting a digital literacy coach benefits libraries and the public, especially in small communities where the libraries have a single librarian trying to serve patrons who rely on the library as the community's central cultural and educational resource.

Feedback from local librarians has been so positive, they identified 30 slots they are trying to fill for this summer alone. The digital literacy coach program is part of Idaho’s Summer Youth Corps, which provided jobs for more than 140 young Idahoans last summer. In addition to libraries, Youth Corps kids worked for private businesses, the U.S. Forest Service, state parks, farmers markets, school districts, and other organizations.

Wages for the digital literacy coaches are paid with Idaho Department of Labor Workforce Investment Act funds and a federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program monies received by the Idaho Commission for Libraries. The digital literacy coach program is open to high school graduates and college students from low-income families. In addition to earning the minimum wage, students learn workplace skills like punctuality, initiative, and strategies for developing good relationships with coworkers.

Other programs funded through Labor’s partnership with the libraries include workshops to introduce Idaho’s librarians to Labor’s job search services, the development of an online job search workbook and a series of video tips on how to look for work. The online module, “Maximize Your Job Search,” is accessible from the department’s website at labor.idaho.gov/jobsearch and on public access computers in libraries across the state.

“The goal of providing digital literacy coaches is to help the unemployed increase their computer skills,” State Librarian Ann Joslin said. “The coaches help library users make the most of available training and e-government resources and support local staff.”

More than 70 percent of Idaho’s public libraries are the only free source of Internet access in their communities. Fifty-five of Idaho’s least connected libraries are participating in the Idaho Commission for Libraries' two-year "online @ your library" project, which includes computer upgrades, faster access to the Internet and online resources, free access to job skills training, and adult basic education and informal learning resources for children.

Students interested in serving as a digital literacy coach should contact their local Idaho Department of Labor Workforce Investment Act youth coordinator. A directory of local offices can be found on the upper right hand corner of the Department of Labor’s website. Librarians interested in hosting a digital literacy coach should contact the Idaho Commission for Libraries at (208) 334-2150.

The digital literacy coach and Idaho Summer Youth Corps program are only two of several services provided by the Idaho Department of Labor for youth. Others include:

• School Support - Tutoring support, leadership development or earning a GED. *Program for at-risk, low-income, out-of-school youth age 16-21. Funds are limited. Eligibility restrictions apply.

• Job Search Assistance – Students can search job listings, create an online profile, or upload a résumé searchable by Idaho employers.

• Idaho Career Information - Career information, skills tests, education and training opportunities, and career portfolios are all available within Idaho's career information system at labor.idaho.gov/careerinfo.

• Work Experience – Students can work in a city library, out on the range, in a national forest, or as an intern for an Idaho company (Eligibility restrictions apply). Dozens of Idaho employers, schools and other sponsors also offer apprenticeships or on-the-job training programs. *Program for at-risk, low-income, out-of-school youth age 16-21. Funds are limited. Eligibility restrictions apply.

• Volunteer Opportunities – Students can open doors, give back to the community, gain some work experience, and maybe even earn some money by joining an AmeriCorps program or volunteering with Serve Idaho.

• Career Fairs – Labor’s local offices support career fairs held by schools throughout the state. Check the calendar at labor.idaho.gov or contact a local office near if your school has one planned.