CMNEA Recommends Maledy and Tilley!

FOR IMMEDIATE

                                                                                                                      RELEASE            

February 26, 2018

Columbia Teachers Vote to Recommend Teresa

Maledy and Ben Tilley for Columbia School Board

(Columbia, MO) – Columbia Public Schools educators, represented by the Columbia Missouri National Education Association (CMNEA), have voted to recommend Teresa Maledy and Ben Tilley to voters in the upcoming April 3rd, 2018 elections for Board of Education.

“Those of us who work in public education always want something better for our students,” said Hickman High School math teacher and CMNEA President, Kathy Steinhoff.  ”When we recommend candidates, we consider whether they will maintain an open dialogue with public school stakeholders, including the elected teacher association, in order to understand the issues facing educators, students and administrators.”  We believe Teresa Maledy’s experiences as a mom, an activist for Cradle to Career and other early education programs, an accomplished businesswoman, and an active community member will enhance the Columbia School Board.  We further believe Ben Tilley’s commitment to public education, as evidenced by a 21 year educational career, his passion to serve Columbia’s students and his willingness to question the status quo will strengthen our Board of Education.  Together, Ms. Maledy and Mr. Tilley have pledged to advocate for Columbia Public Schools alongside CMNEA, and we look forward to working with them to provide something better for all students in Columbia Public Schools.

CMNEA  recommended Ms. Maledy and Mr. Tilley  after an extensive candidate screening process that included candidate questionnaires, an interview with teachers, and a public forum. Both Ms. Maledy and Mr. Tilley are seeking their first terms on the Board of Education.

The Columbia Missouri National Education Association is the exclusive representative of teachers and parent educators in the Columbia Public School District and part of the 35,000-member Missouri National Education Association and 3.1 million-member National Education Association. The CMNEA represents educators, retired educators and students studying to be teachers in the Columbia Public School District.

###

CMNEA School Board Forum - February 21, 2018

View the CMNEA School Board Candidates Forum

Campaign Event for Sen. Claire McCaskill

Cindy and Wally Bley

 

cordially invite you to the

Columbia Election Year Kick-Off Reception

with

 

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill

 

Hosted by:

 

Cindy & Truman Allen | DeeDee & Vic Arnold | Mary & Don Baker

Nancy & David Bedan | Cindy & Wally Bley | Diane Booth & Jeanne Sebaugh

Cora Butler | Winifred & Jack Colwill | Anne & Brady Deaton

Ruth & Dale Doerhoff | Janie Dunning | Ava Fajen & J. Scott Christianson

Joanne Fulton | Judy & Terry Ganey | Linda & Tim Harlan

Paula & Hon. George Hartsfield | DK Hirner | Greta & Kim Hull

Alice Landrum | Nancy Langworthy & Harry Feirman | Doris Littrell

Ann & David Mehr | Richard Miller | Cheryl & Scott Orr | Jane & Jerry Parker

Linda Randall & Jerry Hazelbauer | Freddi & Steve Sokoloff

- Host Committee in Formation -

_______________

 

Friday, March 16

5:30-7:00 PM

 

At The Club at Old Hawthorne

6221 East Broadway

Columbia, Missouri 65201

_______________

Suggested Donations: 

Sponsor: $2,700
Patron: $1,000
Friend: $500
Guest: $200

_______________

To RSVP or with questions, please contact Emma Grundhauser at

egrundhauser@clairemccaskill.com or (314) 896-0831

Or register online here

Until August 7, 2018, individuals may contribute up to $5,400 to McCaskill for Missouri ($2,700 for the primary election, $2,700 for the general election) and federal multi-candidate PACs may contribute up to $10,000 ($5,000 for the primary election, $5,000 for the general election). After August 7, 2018 individuals may contribute only $2,700 and PACs may contribute only $5,000.

Contributions to McCaskill for Missouri are subject to the prohibitions and limitations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. Contributions from corporations, national banks, federal contractors and foreign nationals who are not admitted for permanent residence in the United States are prohibited. All contributions must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by any other person.

Contributions to McCaskill for Missouri are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. 

Paid for by McCaskill for Missouri

McCaskill for Missouri
PO Box 300077
Saint Louis MO 63130 United States

CMNEA School Board Candidate Forum Makes the News!

By Rudi Keller- Columbia Daily Tribune

February 22, 2018

Columbia Public Schools should consider ways to provide universal pre-kindergarten education, school board candidate Teresa Maledy said Wednesday night during a candidate forum.

Maledy, chairwoman and CEO of Commerce Bank’s central and eastern region, is one of five candidates seeking two seats on the Columbia Board of Education in the April 3 election. Speaking at a forum organized by the Columbia Missouri National Education Association, Maledy made the her expansive proposal in answer to a question about how much the district should do to provide early childhood education and close the achievement gap between demographic groups.

“The difference that early childhood education makes is just huge and I have lived it,” Maledy said.

The other candidates — incumbent board member Christine King, medical technologist Tyler Lero, retired teacher Susan Blackburn and retired assistant superintendent Ben Tilley — all agreed with Maledy on the importance of early education but differed in their approaches.

Tilley said he wanted to improve the Parents as Teachers program to bring learning into homes of poor students earlier than they would receive it in a pre-kindergarten program. An expanded pre-kindergarten program creates new problems because children that young can’t ride buses alone, he said.

“Transportation for parents in preschool is non-existent and we have to dig and solve that issue so boys and girls can get to preschool services,” Tilley said.

King said she would like to have full-time pre-kindergarten classes but said the cost would be daunting. Lero said the issue needs a strong community discussion.

Blackburn said her biggest concern is fitting the program to the student. “I want to make sure we have instruction that works for every child in the district,” she said.

Wednesday’s forum at Paxton Keeley Elementary is the last step in the union’s process for making an endorsement before the election. Prior to answering questions before the audience of about 50 teachers, the candidates met one-on-one with the union’s political action committee and answered questionnaires about themselves and their campaign.

The union will hold a meeting for all member teachers Thursday, if school is not canceled, to vote on the endorsements, said Monica Miller, chairwoman of the political action committee. An important point for the candidates they like will be whether they have put together a viable campaign, she said.

The question that must be asked, she said, is “if we are going to invest in you, how seriously are you taking this campaign?”

The questions asked Wednesday sought the candidates’ views on issues ranging from lobbying for more funding to whether the district should place armed guards at schools in response to the Parkland, Fla., shooting that left 17 students and teachers dead.

Several Columbia schools already have resource officers — police officers assigned to the building — but none of the candidates said more guards were a good idea. Lero also said he doesn’t support putting more guns in schools.

“I don’t think the answer is arming teachers with guns or having concealed weapons in schools,” he said.

King also said she opposes additional guards or armed school personnel.

The district has taken many steps to add protection, including video monitoring, automatic door locks and protective films on windows, Blackburn said. It is the board that must decide the policies for protecting schools as it does for all other school issues, she said, and reviewing current protections with an eye to increasing safety is a good idea.

“I am up for exploring anything,” she said.

Maledy praised the reaction of the students and said she hopes there will be a day when there are no worries that a shooter will enter a school.

Worries about a school shooting are constantly with administrators, Tilley said. He also worries that a person set on violence is difficult to stop.

“You will never come up with every scenario that someone might try,” he said.