CEA Union supports Salazar BUT.... MANY teachers disagree!

[Hawkeye-X]

I receieved this letter from a teacher:

> Dear Fellow Mike Miles Supporters,
>
> As a teacher and member of CEA, I am disgusted with the endorsement of
> my union of Ken Salazar in the upcoming election. Yesterday, I
> received a letter from Ron Brady, President of CEA, encouraging me to
> vote for Salazar. His letter went on to state that the union feels
> Salazar is more electable and will best meet the interests of
> teachers. Anyone who has seen the platform comparing Miles with
> Salazar knows that Miles is, well, Miles ahead of Salazar on issues
> related to public education. I'm preaching to the choir here, so
> unless you want me to further explain, I'll assume you know the issues
> I'm referring to. Therefore, I've sent in my request to withdraw my
> membership with CEA, and will donate my union dues to the Mike Miles
> campaign.
>
> There are many educators involved in this campaign, as well as
> concerned citizens who are insulted that CEA has backed Salazar when a
> much more competent candidate is available. I encourage you to write
> to Ron Brady to express your outrage that CEA has actively
> participated in an effort to elect Ken Salazar at the expense of Mike
> Miles, a candidate who best represents the interests of public
> education. Let's flood him with mail. The goal here will be that he
> is forced to give Mike Miles the recognition he deserves by the will
> of the people.
>
> Ron Brady can be contacted at:
> Colorado Education Association
> Ron Brady, President
> 1500 Grant Street
> Denver, CO 80203-1800
> 303.837.1500 / 800.332.5939
>
> This message is a personal appeal from a dedicated Miles' volunteer,
> and is not solicited from the Miles' campaign. If you have any
> questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time
> and consideration of my request.
>
> Jolie Hendricks
> 2nd Grade Teacher
> Cherry Creek Schools
> Aurora, CO

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

[chemteacher]

1. I am surprised at a primary endorsement.

I'm a teacher in CCSD, too, and I was unaware of any endorsement already by CEA. Mike Miles career as a diplomat and educator make him uniquely qualified for the Senate.

However, AFTER the primary...regardless of where one stands, Dems in Colorado need to be unified. Frankly, the alternative is Shaffer or Coors, both of whom are trying to out-conservative each other.

[Robb]

2. What are the issues?

What points relevant to the teacher's union has Salazar ticker off the CEA about? :shrug:

I'll also go look, but if anyone can summarize here, I'd be obliged.

[CO Liberal]

3. When You Consider that As Attorney General.....

...Ken Salazar has helped get several school voucher plans tossed out as unconstitutional, I would figure that EVERY public school teacher would be behind him.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Miles vs Salazar: Educational issues:

Mike Miles:

Support Public Education

The so-called “No Child Left Behind” education legislation is taking valuable resources away from the very school districts that need them most. The legislation is not helpful to schools and actually undermines a district’s ability to teach all students. And this year, 60 percent of all Colorado schools will fail to meet the unrealistic targets established by the law. Ben Campbell and the other politicians who voted for the legislation needed only to do a little homework and ask the right questions to foresee the problems with the legislation.

I will work to repeal or revise NCLB. If we are to judge schools and teachers based on student performance on standardized tests, then let us at least measure success based on student progress over time. Let us hold teachers (and students and parents) accountable for one year’s growth in a year. If a child, who is reading at the 5th grade level when he starts the eighth grade, ends the year reading at the 7th grade level, we should applaud the teacher and the child. That child will not be proficient on the eighth grade state assessment (CSAP), but that test will not tell the true story. It makes no sense to praise or rebuke a child at the finish line without knowing where that child started.

As a former teacher and principal, and as a statewide instructor in school improvement, I know what it takes to leave no child behind. I know about accountability and getting results. As a principal of a middle school, I turned a failing school around, holding myself and the teachers accountable for student achievement and student behavior. We supported Colorado’s assessment program (CSAP), and went beyond it, helping students to think critically and become technologically proficient.

While teachers are being held accountable for high standards and are working hard to meet them, the state and national education debates have rarely focused on ways to make teaching a more attractive profession, including finding ways to increase teacher compensation. Teachers do not get paid enough, and it is time we walked our talk as a society. I will be one of the few who will argue that point clearly and will have the experience to back up what I say.

Instead of mandating national assessments and focusing on unrealistic academic comparisons, Washington should help states retain and recruit good teachers. I will propose a tax credit for teachers who reach their fifth year and agree to sign up for three more years. I also support a plan to forgive a portion of a teacher’s college debt if he or she acquires non-probationary status.

Ken Salazar:
EDUCATION - GIVING OUR CHILDREN A CHANCE TO SUCCEED

My parents always said they couldn't give us riches, but they could give us an education. All eight of us children went to school in the San Luis Valley, and then on to college. My education helped with everything I have achieved in life. Now I want to help insure that every child has the same opportunity to succeed.

Colorado's future, indeed the nation's future, continues to depend on how well we educate our children. In our democratic and diverse society, our public schools have been a unifying force for 300 years. Nine of 10 American children attend K-12 public schools, including my two daughters. Ensuring that our public schools provide a quality education is the key to improving our economy, insuring our ability to compete and interact internationally, strengthening our military, bettering our foreign policy and, fundamentally, making America a better place.

The funding and support for public education, both K-12 and higher education, is primarily a state and local government function. However, for decades the federal government has provided secondary financial support and general guidance. Passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 is a continuation of the federal government's involvement. This law mandates that all school children meet standards for proficiency in reading and math, and also establishes requirements for school performance, student testing, teacher training, and other matters important to the success of our public schools. While the purposes are worthy, the law has proven to be inflexible and unnecessarily punitive and must be fixed. The requirements of No Child Left Behind are important, but are also costly. Washington has not kept its end of the bargain, and has shortchanged our schools by billions of dollars. These unfunded federal mandates are unfair and place enormous burdens on local schools and state governments.

In the Senate, one of my highest priorities will be to help make sure that Washington is responsive and responsible to the needs and concerns of state and local governments without ultimately supplanting their traditional authority, and that Washington supports, rather than undermines, our students, schools and teachers.

I support setting high standards for our kids, but we must provide the resources to our teachers and schools to meet them. The testing requirements under federal law should serve to diagnose where additional support is needed, not punish struggling schools or students. The promises of the federal government to help upgrade our schools, improve our educational resources and support our teachers must be honored.

To prepare our kids for school, we must strengthen our commitment to early childhood education. Studies consistently show such investments are re-paid in savings and benefits to society many times over. And after-school programs are proven ways to keep our kids safe, increase academic performance, and strengthen communities. As your Senator I will work to increase funding for Head Start, Early Head Start, pre-school, and after-school programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs.

We must also strengthen our commitment to higher education, at our universities, community colleges, trade schools and other places of learning. With tuition costs soaring, especially at state schools whose funding has been slashed due to budget shortfalls, America’s college students are finding it harder and harder to pay their way through school. We must keep higher education affordable and accessible to all students who pursue the dream of a college degree. We must also boost remedial education programs such as those that promote adult literacy. And we must support workers who take time off from the workplace, or find themselves unemployed, to develop the skills they need to adjust to changes in their industry or in the economy.

To compete in the world economy of the future, to live a good life, our children must be well educated. The American Dream demands that everyone, no matter their back-ground, deserves an opportunity to succeed. Improving our public education system is key to making that dream a reality. As your U.S. Senator, I will work to ensure that we provide educational opportunity for all our young people.

I strongly support public education, from early childhood education through high school and on through our colleges and universities. Quality education produces informed citizens and qualified workers. Our high school and college graduates form the backbone of our democracy, our free-enterprise system, and our all-volunteer armed forces.

I will push for programs that:

Protect the Sustainability of America's Public Schools by increasing funding and embracing innovation


Reduce class sizes and repair school buildings


Recruit and retain high quality teachers


Invest in books and technology


Fix and fund No Child Left Behind


Full funding of No Child Left Behind


Multiple measures of achievement


Additional resources for troubled schools


Honor promises to fund special education


Expand early childhood education


Expand after-school programs


Invest in creating safe school environments


Address achievement gap for low income and minority students


Make college more affordable


Increase Pell Grant funding for needy students


Double the HOPE Scholarship tax credits


Allow multiple student loan consolidation


Eliminate student loan origination fees


Support scientific research at our public universities

For more than 20 years, I have been active in education issues, in my community and in public service. I have long argued for increased funding for our public schools, and promoted safer learning environments to prevent youth violence and increase school safety. Specifically, I have:

Helped craft Colorado's state finance equalization law in the 1980s to provide a fairer system of funding for Colorado's less wealthy school districts.


Helped create early childhood education initiatives, including Colorado’s pre-school program.


Actively participated as Attorney General in the national Fight Crime-Invest in Kids program, dedicated to supporting Congressional efforts for expanded early childhood education and after school programs.


Spearheaded as Attorney General settlement of a contentious lawsuit to provide $190 million dollars in funding for repair of schools in our state's poorest school districts.


Helped develop the Safe Communities-Safe Schools Initiative, and the Anti-Bullying Project -- nationally recognized programs designed to address youth and school violence and safe learning environments.


Co-chaired the National Association of Attorneys General Children's Committee, which in April 2000 issued a report entitled "Bruised Inside, What Our Children Say About Youth Violence".


Served as a member of the Planning Board for the U.S. Surgeon General's first-ever Report on Youth Violence.


Drafted and successfully worked to pass legislation requiring school districts to adopt anti-bullying prevention and education policies.


Crafted legislation to revise school "report cards" required by the state to better inform parents what kinds of school safety efforts have been or are being implemented in their children’s' schools.


Annually created and issued the Attorney General's Manual on School Violence Prevention and Discipline for use by schools, students and parents.


Helped expand the Crime Stoppers hotline to create a Youth Crime Stoppers program, partnering with non-profit foundations and others to implement a statewide School Crime Stoppers Program. Pilot school district programs are already in place.


Successfully worked with the legislature to enhance information sharing between law enforcement, schools and the judicial system and created a model interagency agreement for information sharing for use by these systems.


Worked with Colorado DARE to implement the new DARE middle school curriculum in Colorado's schools and worked with the Colorado Department of Education and other partners to initiate a statewide working group on effective substance abuse education.


Launched a multi-year project intended to increase the number of Boys & Girls Club after-school programs to provide safe havens and activity for youth during the most risky hours.