Dear CMNEA members,
The deadline to register as a voter in Boone County/Columbia has passed. However, if you would like to know how to find your voting location, would like information on how to vote absentee, or wonder what else will be on the ballot, we've added quick links to the website! Just go to the right side of the screen and look at the top with the label "Information About April 7, 2015 Election." Hope this helps!
Don't forget to contact me for a yard sign for our RECOMMENDED candidate, Darin Preis!! Darin will stop by briefly at our April 2nd members meeting (RA) which will be held at West Middle School beginning at 4:30 p.m. He will tell about his campaign around 4:45 p.m.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
Attend One of the Political Forums for Darin
Dear CMNEA members,
We have several public political forums in March. Please take the time to support our recommended candidate, Darin Preis. As you know, strength in numbers!! Voters will take notice when they see teachers in support of a candidate. Wear your "I am the NEA" button and come on out! Here are the dates below:
CMNEA friends- Your building rep should have or will soon contact you about taking a yard sign for Darin Preis. If you have not heard from your building rep by Wednesday, please let me know!! You may contact me at: mmill83@aol.com
We have several public political forums in March. Please take the time to support our recommended candidate, Darin Preis. As you know, strength in numbers!! Voters will take notice when they see teachers in support of a candidate. Wear your "I am the NEA" button and come on out! Here are the dates below:
3/31 NAACP 7:00 PM at 2nd Baptist I will be there! Come join me!
CMNEA, we need a friend on the board. We need to help Darin Preis remain on the board.
CMNEA friends- Your building rep should have or will soon contact you about taking a yard sign for Darin Preis. If you have not heard from your building rep by Wednesday, please let me know!! You may contact me at: mmill83@aol.com
Sunday, March 8, 2015
New Tabs In Place
Dear CMNEA members,
I have placed new tabs on the blog to help you learn about our recommended candidate, Darin Preis. The first tab, "Meet Darin Preis," is information about our candidate and includes his resume. The second tab let you know how you can reach me in order to get a yard sign for his campaign. Contact me soon!
I have placed new tabs on the blog to help you learn about our recommended candidate, Darin Preis. The first tab, "Meet Darin Preis," is information about our candidate and includes his resume. The second tab let you know how you can reach me in order to get a yard sign for his campaign. Contact me soon!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Supporting Our Recommended Candidate-Darin Preis!!
Dear CMNEA members,
Last month, our association voted to recommend to YOU, our loyal member, a candidate for school board. After screening interviews and conducting a forum with candidates Christine King, Darin Preis, and Derek Wade, the CMNEA PAC team recommended ... DARIN PREIS as our recommended candidate.
This is a wonderful step in our association's history. We took this step so that we may have a closer working relationship with the school board, and we took this step because many of our members have asked over and over, "Who should I vote for?"
Darin was selected because of his strong commitment to public education and to our community. He advocates for families in poverty through his work with the Central Missouri Community Action as Director, and is heavily involved with early childhood development and has served as the Director for Head Start.
He stands for many of the issues that MNEA/CMNEA values such as no guns in schools, provide resources and training for work with mentally ill families and children, and provide necessary resources to classroom teachers so that high quality learning takes place in the classroom. He values educators as the professionals of their schools and classrooms.
Darin's biography and photo will appear hear soon on our political blog.
To start our support of his campaign, we need CMNEA members involved! WE need CMNEA members to place Darin Preis for school board yard signs in their yards! Please contact me at: mmill83@aol.com Give me your name and address. Someone from Darin's campaign will deliver the sign to your home! Deadline for this is March 13th.
We need members to write letters to the editors of the Columbia Daily Tribune and The Missourian, sharing why YOU are voting for Darin Preis. Contact me at: mmill83@aol.com as soon as possible. We'd like to start the letter campaign next week.
Thanks, CMNEA! Happy Teaching.
Monica
Last month, our association voted to recommend to YOU, our loyal member, a candidate for school board. After screening interviews and conducting a forum with candidates Christine King, Darin Preis, and Derek Wade, the CMNEA PAC team recommended ... DARIN PREIS as our recommended candidate.
This is a wonderful step in our association's history. We took this step so that we may have a closer working relationship with the school board, and we took this step because many of our members have asked over and over, "Who should I vote for?"
Darin was selected because of his strong commitment to public education and to our community. He advocates for families in poverty through his work with the Central Missouri Community Action as Director, and is heavily involved with early childhood development and has served as the Director for Head Start.
He stands for many of the issues that MNEA/CMNEA values such as no guns in schools, provide resources and training for work with mentally ill families and children, and provide necessary resources to classroom teachers so that high quality learning takes place in the classroom. He values educators as the professionals of their schools and classrooms.
Darin's biography and photo will appear hear soon on our political blog.
To start our support of his campaign, we need CMNEA members involved! WE need CMNEA members to place Darin Preis for school board yard signs in their yards! Please contact me at: mmill83@aol.com Give me your name and address. Someone from Darin's campaign will deliver the sign to your home! Deadline for this is March 13th.
We need members to write letters to the editors of the Columbia Daily Tribune and The Missourian, sharing why YOU are voting for Darin Preis. Contact me at: mmill83@aol.com as soon as possible. We'd like to start the letter campaign next week.
Thanks, CMNEA! Happy Teaching.
Monica
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
The Passing of an MNEA Gentle Giant
Dear CMNEA members,
It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of a long time MNEA member and public education and community advocate. Here is the message from MNEA President Charles Smith:
It is with sadness that I must report that Ken Curtis, MNEA-R, died in his sleep Sunday night. As you know, he was an outstanding advocate for public education serving on the MNEA Legislative/Resolutions Committee. Ken often championed the NEA/MNEA causes with a letter to the editor. One was published in the St. Louis Post just this past Saturday. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Please check the Post and the listserv for an update.
If you have attended the MNEA RA over the last 15-20 years, you would have met Ken. He was a tall man with a distinctive deep voice who spoke at the mic at least once at each RA. He also attended the National RA each year, however he did skip last year's conference.
Ken was passionate about education and the welfare of others. He strongly believed that advocacy not only brought about change, but it raised the consciousness of the public. With this belief, Ken wrote often to the Post Dispatch to raise awareness and his voice through the power of the pen. One can honestly say that Ken practiced what he preached to the very end. Last Sunday, The Post printed what may have been Ken's final letter. Below is the letter:
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
I had the honor of serving with Ken on the MNEA Legislative and Resolutions State Committee. I learned so much from Ken and he was still the outstanding teacher. I will miss his voice, his love of dancing (He never missed a dance at the state and national RA!) and his knowledge.
Well done my friend. Well done.
It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of a long time MNEA member and public education and community advocate. Here is the message from MNEA President Charles Smith:
It is with sadness that I must report that Ken Curtis, MNEA-R, died in his sleep Sunday night. As you know, he was an outstanding advocate for public education serving on the MNEA Legislative/Resolutions Committee. Ken often championed the NEA/MNEA causes with a letter to the editor. One was published in the St. Louis Post just this past Saturday. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Please check the Post and the listserv for an update.
If you have attended the MNEA RA over the last 15-20 years, you would have met Ken. He was a tall man with a distinctive deep voice who spoke at the mic at least once at each RA. He also attended the National RA each year, however he did skip last year's conference.
Ken was passionate about education and the welfare of others. He strongly believed that advocacy not only brought about change, but it raised the consciousness of the public. With this belief, Ken wrote often to the Post Dispatch to raise awareness and his voice through the power of the pen. One can honestly say that Ken practiced what he preached to the very end. Last Sunday, The Post printed what may have been Ken's final letter. Below is the letter:
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
REPUBLICANS' DE FACTO VETO OF MEDICAID EXPANSION
The editorial "Truth or dare" (Feb. 22) correctly suggests we should be following the example of Kentucky and 27 other states with Medicaid expansion bringing improved health care, more jobs and less budget tightening. It suggests our leaders fear emulating Kentucky because it would prove bad-mouthing of Medicaid expansion wrong. That‘s true. But there is another fear.
In our ALEC General Assembly, too many are fearful of losing perks provided by ALEC. For those not familiar with the American Legislative Exchange Council, it consists of corporate memberships and holds meetings to which lawmakers are invited to resort-style wining and dining meetings and “model legislation” is designed for lawmakers to carry home.
ALEC claims it has no lobbyists. Not so. Their lobbyists are the lawmakers who agree to promote the anti-public service agenda of ALEC. Medicaid expansion would expand public service in a direction opposed by ALEC.
State Sen. Ryan Silvey, a Republican from Kansas City, couldn't get a hearing on his proposal to expand. Rep. Jay Barnes, Republican from Columbia, found his colleagues unwilling to listen to his expansion proposal and the benefits it would bring. House Speaker John Diehl holds a prominent position in ALEC, and many of his colleagues are members. He and Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey continue to exercise a pre-emptive, de facto veto of Medicaid expansion by refusing to even allow its introduction and debate.
Ken Curtis • Valley Park I had the honor of serving with Ken on the MNEA Legislative and Resolutions State Committee. I learned so much from Ken and he was still the outstanding teacher. I will miss his voice, his love of dancing (He never missed a dance at the state and national RA!) and his knowledge.
Well done my friend. Well done.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Dear CMNEA members,
If you have not heard, seen or read yet, we have an excellent MNEA blog. It is The MNEA Advocate on blogspot.com. Our blog as a direct link to the blog over to the right side of the screen. It is written by Michelle-Scott Huffman, our new MNEA staff member. Those of you who worked closely with the Amendment 3 campaign met Michelle as she hauled computers to our phone banking every Wednesday!
Michelle writes weekly about her journeys in the halls of our state capital in Jefferson City as she lobbies for public education. She has run into Montel Williams and her former elementary school teacher. She has observed our legislators at work and has seen MNEA Legislative Director, Otto Fajen work his magic.
Last week she witnessed the reactions of legislators by news that took all of us by shock, the sudden death of Missouri State Auditor, Tom Schweich. In a blog titled, "A Loss for Words," Michelle pointed out the role we as educators have when we face such a sudden loss or tragedy in our community. Please take a moment to read this posting. It is not only moving, but powerful and beautiful.
MNEA has provided resources for us. It is below:
If you are in crisis, there is help,
Resources for Educators
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), two of the nation’s leading suicide prevention organizations, have collaborated to produce this toolkit to assist schools in the aftermath of a suicide (or other death) in the school community.
If you have not heard, seen or read yet, we have an excellent MNEA blog. It is The MNEA Advocate on blogspot.com. Our blog as a direct link to the blog over to the right side of the screen. It is written by Michelle-Scott Huffman, our new MNEA staff member. Those of you who worked closely with the Amendment 3 campaign met Michelle as she hauled computers to our phone banking every Wednesday!
Michelle writes weekly about her journeys in the halls of our state capital in Jefferson City as she lobbies for public education. She has run into Montel Williams and her former elementary school teacher. She has observed our legislators at work and has seen MNEA Legislative Director, Otto Fajen work his magic.
Last week she witnessed the reactions of legislators by news that took all of us by shock, the sudden death of Missouri State Auditor, Tom Schweich. In a blog titled, "A Loss for Words," Michelle pointed out the role we as educators have when we face such a sudden loss or tragedy in our community. Please take a moment to read this posting. It is not only moving, but powerful and beautiful.
MNEA has provided resources for us. It is below:
If you are in crisis, there is help,
call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Resources for Educators
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), two of the nation’s leading suicide prevention organizations, have collaborated to produce this toolkit to assist schools in the aftermath of a suicide (or other death) in the school community.
- After a Suicide: A Toolkit For Schools
- General guidelines for teachers and staff
- Making educators partners in youth suicide prevention
May we all live long and prosper.
MNEA Member Advocates for Less Testing and More Funding in ESEA Reauthorization
Missouri teacher advocates for less testing, more funding in ESEA reauthorization
Colleen Flaherty
David Hope, firefighting and EMT instructor at South Technical High School in St. Louis, MO, traveled to Washington D.C. this week to advocate for career and technical education, for limits on high-stakes testing, but most of all, he came for his students.
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“To me, my kids are the most important. Anybody in my school will tell you, I’ll go to hell and back for my kids, period,” said Hope.
As Congress is working on reauthorization for the Elementary and Secondary Education act—also known as No Child Left Behind—educators like Hope are sharing their experiences in the classroom to inform legislators on education policy.
Properly funding career and technical education (CTE), says Hope, is absolutely crucial when it comes to filling gaps in education.
“Career and technical education can help close a learning gap. Right now, many students who graduate high school aren’t prepared to start college. On top of that, high school graduation rates are dropping,” said Hope. “Programs like ours has a 90 percent graduation rate. We’re doing something right.”
If funding falls short for these and many other crucial programs, Hope said that it hurts low-income and special needs students most. On Capitol Hill, he spoke about the importance of fully funding the Carl D Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, one of the largest sources of federal funding for high schools across the country.
“A lot of the money for CTE programs comes from Perkins, especially in rural school districts and disenfranchised, low-income areas,” said Hope.
In Hope’s school, many positions are made possible by Perkins loans, including the counselor that manages all the special education IEPs for students and the counselor that manages retention and college guidance.
“It’s so critical we have those positions, especially with the number of high-needs students we have.”
It’s not just CTE that needs addressing in the reauthorization, and Hope encourages everyone with an interest in flourishing public schools to pay attention to the current ESEA debate.
“It affects everybody. ESEA reauthorization doesn’t just affect career and tech ed students. It affects every student out there,” said Hope. “Parents, students all need to realize that this is something they need to focus on as it will affect their children, their grandchildren and the rest of the country.”
Hope also addressed a critical piece of ESEA, the federal testing mandate put in place by No Child Left Behind that dramatically increased the number of tests in schools.
“The high stakes testing is the most caustic part in the entire law, in my opinion. It forces teachers to teach to a test. It does not allow us to really get in and teach students,” said Hope. “I may have to teach a class four different ways to reach every student in my class, but the flexibility that I would have without having to worry about all the over-testing would make it easier.”
Currently, the House of Representatives has temporarily postponed voting on the ESEA reauthorization. The debate on the floor yesterday was promising, said Lily Eskelsen García, elementary school teacher and president of the National Education Association, as many bipartisan amendments were adopted that put students first, including flexibility for locally-designed assessments, audits to eliminate unnecessary state and local tests and requiring districts to inform parents of “opt out” policies.
“We welcome that bipartisan spirit and cooperation, and we applaud lawmakers for acknowledging that growing problem with too much federally-mandated testing and approving commonsense amendments that would again allow education to inspire students’ natural curiosity, imagination and desire to learn,” said Eskelsen García.
“We urge Congress to get ESEA right. We stand ready to work with members of both parties to fix this badly broken law.”
Next week, all eyes will be on the Senate as they work on their version for ESEA reauthorization;
Interim State Auditor Named to Replace Tom Schweich
Nixon appoints longtime aide as interim auditor to replace Schweich
Saturday, February 28, 2015 From Columbia Daily Tribune
Gov. Jay Nixon installed trusted longtime aide John Watson as state auditor Friday to replace the late Tom Schweich, saying Watson would hold the position “until a permanent appointment is made.”
Nixon, a Democrat, said he acted quickly Thursday after Schweich’s death, which police are calling an apparent suicide, to prevent disruption in the work of the auditor’s office.
“I know that John Watson will perform these duties with the professionalism, integrity and independence the citizens of Missouri expect and deserve, and I am pleased that he has agreed to serve while I move thoroughly and expeditiously to select a permanent replacement,” Nixon said in a statement issued Friday afternoon.
Watson was Nixon’s chief of staff from 1997 to December 2014, while Nixon served as both attorney general and governor, and currently holds a job as senior adviser to Nixon.
Under Missouri law, Nixon is directed to “immediately” appoint a replacement when the office of state auditor becomes vacant. The appointee holds the office until the term expires in 2019.
In the news release announcing the appointment, Nixon said Watson agreed to resign the office when Nixon makes his permanent selection.
Schweich, a Republican, was re-elected in November with no Democratic opponent. He was riding the strength of that victory into the 2016 gubernatorial primary against former U.S. Attorney and Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway when he died of a single gunshot wound at his home in St. Louis County.
With Watson as auditor, Democrats will hold five of six statewide offices, leaving Lt. Gov. Peter
Kinder as the only GOP officeholder. Kinder has announced he intends to seek a fourth term in 2016.
“I have tremendous respect for the State Auditor’s Office, and I will carry out these duties in service to the people of Missouri,” Watson said in the prepared statement. “I continue to keep Tom Schweich’s family and friends in my thoughts and prayers, and join them in mourning this loss.”
Nixon earlier in the day canceled a trade trip to Cuba because of Schweich’s death.
A memorial service for Schweich is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Church of St. Michael and St. George in St. Louis County, spokesman Spence Jackson told the Associated Press.
Most candidates seeking statewide office in 2016 have suspended their campaigns until after Schweich’s funeral.
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