Author: admin

Please join us this Saturday, May 1 at 9:00 am to pledge our commitment to #ProtectInvestInEd … because now more than ever we must protect Prop 208 and protect public education! We will be updated on what is happening, enjoy socializing together, and be joined by two awesome leaders: Marisol Garcia, Vice President of the Arizona Education Association, and Mitzi Epstein, State House Representative for Legislative District 18. You won’t want to miss this!

To join our webinar, use this Zoom link with a password of 542445, or call (253) 215-8782 and use webinar ID 916 2259 2402 and password of 542445.

What’s the MAD Challenge? It’s AEA’s “Member A Day” challenge to encourage local recruiting efforts! With a goal of one new member per day from March 1 through May 31 in Region B, CEA’s share of that goal is 13 new members by May 31. Can you help us reach that goal? CEA members who recruit new members between now and May 31 will receive a $10 surprise gift card, as well as be entered into drawings for additional prizes … and if CEA recruits more members than other locals in our region, we can receive even more incentives! Our current spring membership incentive also makes it easier to recruit than ever, since members can join now and not start paying dues until the fall (some full membership privileges such as voting rights are not available to those who join under this promotion). Feel free to use this spring membership form for those who are interested in joining during this membership drive!

California Casualty is a great auto/home/renters insurance option for CEA members! Through AEA, they have great rates in our area and solid customer service reviews. Our local rep, Brandon Watson, is hosting “Quote Fest” on Wednesday, April 14, and we encourage all members to RSVP for one of his quick Zooms at 4:00pm, 4:30pm, or 5:00pm to receive on-the-spot auto insurance rate comparisons. Attendees will receive live quotes and a $25 gift card for checking the rates, and two lucky participants will also win a gift card to San Tan Brewery or Salad and Go!

It’s time for NEA’s Read Across America! We encourage all of our members to visit readacrossamerica.org and check out the great resources that NEA has put together to help them make Read Across America a success in their classroom, including free materials, event ideas, and a promotional toolkit.

Thank you to all of our members who answered our call for nominations, and especially to those members who accepted a nomination for our AEA Delegate Assembly and NEA Representative Assembly. The candidates for these positions are listed below, and our online election will begin on Tuesday, March 2 (an email with more details on how to vote will be sent out at a later date).

AEA Delegate Assembly

Marisol Archie (Basha High School)
Megan Asad (Chandler Online Academy)
Shara Billings (Perry High School)
Michelle Capriotti (Casteel High School)
Jennifer Chastain (Andersen Elementary School)
Shaun Creighton (District Office)
Gary DeGrow (Perry High School)
Maria Hase (Chandler Online Academy)
Laura Helt (Chandler High School)
Diane Lundahl (Hamilton High School)
Carly Mahlmeister (San Marcos Elementary School)
Katie Nash (Chandler High School)
Peg Newendyke (Santan Junior High School)
Karla Palafox (Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School)
Kelly Powers (Casteel High School)
Susan Skousen (Chandler Online Academy)
Cassie Skufca (Basha High School)
April Vallier Schulken (Hamilton High School)
Tricia Wittbrodt (Jacobson Elementary School)
Cathy Zinkhon (Shumway Leadership Academy)

NEA Representative Assembly

Marisol Archie (Basha High School)
Jennifer Chastain (Andersen Elementary School)
Shaun Creighton (District Office)
Maria Hase (Chandler Online Academy)
Katie Nash (Chandler High School)
Karla Palafox (Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School)
Susan Skousen (Chandler Online Academy)
Cathy Zinkhon (Shumway Leadership Academy)

We urge our community to join us for an important virtual event on Wednesday, March 3 from 5:30-7:00pm. The CEA Legislative Priorities will provide you an opportunity to learn about CEA’s priorities for the current legislative session, as well as share your stories with Chandler area legislators. With all of the alarming bills already being considered by the legislature, it’s more important than ever that we all become informed, engaged, and vocal! Please use this link to register for this event.

The legislative session is underway once again! While the 2020 election brought us a legislature that is slightly more friendly to public education, we still need to make our voices heard and keep the pressure on our legislators to keep moving forward toward restoring funding for education … and fight against the numerous bills already written that would harm public education in Arizona.

With the overwhelming amount of bills being considered, it can be tough to keep up, let alone advocate for our students and our profession … and it’s even more challenging during the COVID pandemic. Our Legislative Toolkit can help, giving you information on how to stay informed on what’s happening at the capitol and how you can make an impact on the process (including signing up for the Request to Speak system). Check it out today and become an education advocate!

COVID has changed how we do many things, including advocating to our politicians. As another legislative session brings more of the harmful bills we’ve seen in previous years, it’s still critically important that we lobby on behalf of our members, even with the restrictions that COVID brings. To help our members with this task, AEA will hold two Virtual Lobby Days featuring AEA officers, lobbyist, and invited legislators. These events will provide:

• an overview and update on key bills
• an opportunity to learn best practices for voicing your position to legislators
• breakouts for special topics
• an opportunity to share your perspective directly with legislators

AEA Virtual Lobby Days will be held from 6:00-7:30pm on the following days:

• Thursday, February 25
• Monday, March 8

If you’d like to attend on one (or both!) of the dates above, just click on the date to register.

NEA and AFT will be hosting a virtual fireside chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday, January 28 at 4:00pm. This is your chance to ask Dr. Fauci questions regarding COVID-19 that are education-related. Sign up for this exclusive event today!