35.
35 days.
35 days until election day. That’s all there is. In 35
days we will choose a new president for our country (hopefully we choose
wisely), we will vote for representatives in congress and the state
legislature, we will decide if the tobacco tax should be increased, residents
of Arvada will decide if city taxes should be increased for much needed
infrastructure improvements, and voters in Jefferson County will decide whether
or not to increase their property taxes for their schools. We all know the
school district sorely needs the money in order to remain competitive with area
school districts so this post will not be about why the Mill and Bond is
needed, we are the proverbial choir- no preaching needed. But here is the thing;
the voters in this district are largely uninformed about 3A/3B. Not so much in
the way that they don’t know why the money is needed (although that is true as
well), the voting public is uninformed in that they don’t even know the issue
is even on the ballot! To compound that problem is the fact that this ballot is
a LOOOOOOOOONG ballot and 3A/3B will very likely be at the end of the ballot.
Voting fatigue is a real thing. Voters get either bored or exhausted while
voting on a long ballot and very often they will not even bother to cast a vote
on issues that are at the end of ballot. To ensure that 3A/3B passes it is up
to us to inform voters 1) That there
is a Mill and Bond measure on the ballot for JeffCo Schools and why it is
needed and 2) to be sure to vote in
favor of 3A/3B. But here is the rub- there have been very few of us out walking
to ensure these two points happen this November. That is alarming, frightening,
disconcerting, disheartening, and confusing all at once. We all want this to
pass but it seems as though people believe “others” will get it passed. Guess
what? The “others” are you, me, the school secretary, the kindergarten para,
the facilities manager, and the teacher across the hall. 3A/3B won’t pass
because I, Beth Low, or Lara Center, Paula Reed or John Ford walk, knocks and
talks to voters. It will pass because YOU
walk, knock and talk as well. That is the only way this ballot issue passes.
Now, I know there are lots of legitimate reasons why
some people don’t feel compelled to walk so I’d like to take a moment to
address those issues.
I’d
Like To Walk, Knock and Talk But I Just Don’t Have The Time
Time is finite and we all have demands in our life
that chews up our free time. I get this. I am currently teaching three
different preps one of which is an AP class, I am getting my second Master’s
Degree, I am a JCEA building rep, I am on the Board of Directors for JCEA, I
also have a wife and two sons that I have to find time for. My time is
extraordinarily limited between reading and writing papers, grading, lesson
planning, meetings, responding to parent emails and phone calls and spending
quality time with my family. I just do not have much time left after all that. However, I also
know that 3A/3B is important for me, my education colleagues, my students and
most importantly my own children. So I find the time to take a few hours out of
my Saturday mornings to walk knock and talk. No one expects you to walk every
single Saturday, I haven’t been able to, but one Saturday is all that is
needed. If you can do more- GREAT! I truly believe that if something is
important you can always make time for it. The passage of this Mill and Bond is
very important in so many ways.
After
The Last Few Years I Am So Exhausted And Worn Out
Yeah, I get this one as well. I am worn out as well.
We were engaged in a literal fight for our professional lives the last few
years. Fighting is exhausting and not all that much fun. It does wear you out.
This is a legitimate complaint. However, this is not a fight. There really is
not a lot of organized opposition on this issue. This is more about working for
the culmination of a celebration that started last year at this time when we
won a fight for the soul of our district. To complete the arc that we began last
year, 3A/3B must pass.
I also understand the feeling that we went into
education to work with students NOT to get involved in elections and politics.
Believe me, all I want to do is go into my classroom, shut my door and teach.
In a perfect world that is exactly what I would do. Unfortunately, we live in
time where education seems to be a focal point of politics. Republicans have
their education agenda as do Democrats. We can choose to sit back and allow
what happens to our profession take place or we can become actively involved
and try to steer public policy in a way that we know is best for education. I
always want to have some control over what happens to me instead of just
allowing things to happen to me.
We
Have A Board Of Education That Once Again Respects Us Why Must We Go Out And
Walk Again To Get Money
Yes, it is true we have a BOE that respects us and we
worked hard to get a sane and respectful board. However, that only gave us a
sane and respectful board. It did not solve the money problem that was
exacerbated by the previous board. Other than having good people on the BOE,
VERY LITTLE was solved with the election last year. Had the election last year not
turned out as it did, we would not have the opportunity that we now have. The
previous board would have never asked for a Mill and Bond increase. Remember,
they were more than content to allow this district to languish and deteriorate
to prove they were good stewards of tax money. If we don’t work to get this
Mill and Bond passed, we will allow the previous board’s plan to come to
fruition even though they are no longer around. We can choose to work to
validate the board we helped get elected or we can choose to allow WNW win
despite their loss a year ago.
I
Am So Angry/Disappointed/Frustrated With My Raise! I Sacrificed For This
District 6 Years Ago And This Is How I’m Rewarded?
I too am very frustrated and disappointed in my raise.
$34 extra a month is just not cutting it! I willingly took a pay cut and freeze
several years ago to help the district out and to keep cuts away from my
students
and
I’ve patiently waited for six years for my salary to recover, meanwhile, my
living expenses have steadily increased. You should be angry. Oh sure, we will
get a nice bonus check at the end of this month and our pay will end up being
4% more than last year, however next year we may be back to our minimal
increase without the additional 4%. This will most probably happen IF 3A/3B
does not pass. If we want the 4% to be ongoing and not a nice Christmas bonus,
the Mill and Bond must pass.
On a side note, our anger cannot be directed at our
JCEA negotiations team; it should be at the district negotiations team.
Remember, last year the district floated the idea of giving all teachers a $500
bonus and then they came to the table with a 1% increase. JCEA pushed and pushed until they got the
district to agree to give all teachers 4% more this year than last. Most did
not get a 4% raise, but we are all going to get 4% more this year than we did
last year. Again, if we want this be ongoing, we have to work to get 3A/3B
passed.
I think I’ve addressed all of the reasons I’ve heard
from people about why they haven’t walked or don’t want to walk. For the next
portion of the show, I would like to discuss what will happen if 3A/3B passes
or if it fails. I’m a firm believer in saving the best for last, so let’s look first at what will happen if it does not pass.
What
Will Happen if 3A/3B Does Not Pass?
Dark, bleak times in JeffCo is what will happen. School
closures, school consolidations, redrawing of boundaries, draconian cuts in
SBB, elimination of after school activities and programs, staff reductions,
continued exodus of education professionals, continued overcrowding in
elementary schools, continued deterioration of buildings.
My kids, your kids will suffer mightily. I can’t believe
that any of us want these things to happen, so I must also believe that we all
want 3A/3B to pass and we all know what it will take for that to happen…. WALK,
KNOCK AND TALK!
And now for the fun part…
What
Will Happen if 3A/3B DOES Pass?
I would like to say that we will march triumphantly
into broad, sunlight lands and all of our troubles will melt away as we live
happily ever after. While this is not going to happen, our lives will improve.
Our salaries will increase! Yes! I would like to yell from the
mountain top to the district as negotiations begin this spring “NOT ONE THIN DIME, NOT ONE RED CENT FOR
ANY DISTRICT PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVEs, EITHER NEW OR EXISTING, UNTIL WE ADDRESS
COMPENSATION!” I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of the district
paying for various programs and initiatives (I’m looking at you PLC’s) first
and then kicking the remainder to educators. How about we flip that script. We
took a pay cut and freeze six years ago. If we were one of the first places the
district came six years ago looking to reduce costs, then we should be among
the first things to be addressed if additional revenue is forthcoming. Programs
and initiatives do not work unless they are implemented and maintained by
quality, knowledgeable people. You attract and retain quality and knowledgeable
people by compensating them well.
Furthermore, if the Mill and Bond pass, we can begin
to address so many of the needed building issues and upgrades that our schools
sorely need. School based programming will remain intact. Some neighborhood
schools will remain open. Teaching materials and conditions will be upgraded.
And best of all, the greatest beneficiaries of all of these benefits will be
the students in our district.
So please, sometime over the course of the next 35
days, carve out a little bit of time to walk, knock and talk for 3A/3B. Imagine
the feeling on election night when we win and you have the satisfaction of
knowing you helped in that win. Our students deserve it, my kids deserve it,
your kids deserve it.
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