Thank you to everyone who voted in our AEA Delegate Assembly and NEA Representative Assembly, and special thanks to our candidates for their willingness to represent CEA at these important events. Our election has concluded, and full details of our election results can be found on our website.
Once again, AEA will be holding their annual Educators’ Days at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 22. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about what’s happening at the Capitol, make our presence felt, and potentially meet with your legislators to discuss issues critical to our profession. These days also happen to be during our spring break! Please use this form to RSVP for one or both of these days!
On October 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced major changes to
the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. If you are a full-time CUSD educator and have federal student loans, these changes may be very beneficial to you, but additional action may be needed. We encourage all members to review this flyer to find out more about this opportunity.
After being named one of five finalists for the Arizona Educational Foundation’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, we are so proud to share that nationally board certified Chandler HS Spanish teacher (and CEA member) Sara Wyffels was named the 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year! Congratulations, Sara!
In this role, Sara will travel across the state over the coming year to serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession, as well as travel to the White House (COVID restrictions permitting) to meet the President along with other Teachers of the Year from across the country. You can read more about Sara and this amazing honor at the Arizona Educational Foundation’s website. We are so proud of you, Sara!
Over the summer, CEA formed dozens of task forces that examining the challenges of reopening schools through the lenses of particular educators and students. Huge thanks to all of our members who worked over the summer to create a comprehensive document detailing challenges and recommendations that reflect the voices of our educators. You can now view the combined CEA Reopening Task Force Document online.
We’re heartbroken at the news that Chandler High School coach Kerry Croswhite passed way tonight from COVID-19. The entire CEA family sends its love to his wife, Laurie, the rest of his family, and everyone in the CHS Wolves community.
We received more information tonight from our CUSD Governing Board and Governor Ducey on what school reopening may look like (you can also watch tonight’s board meeting to view the discussion around our reopening). This is obviously a fluid, constantly changing situation, but your union has been busy putting together critical information to help us navigate it.
As mentioned earlier, CEA’s survey results have been shared with the Governing Board and with district administration (thanks to those of you who made your voice heard by responding to that survey). With input from members across the state (including some CEA members), AEA has also released their New Vision for Arizona Schools Task Force report, which contains a bold vision of what our schools can and should look like in a post-COVID world. Finally, NEA has released their All Hands on Deck: Initial Guidance Regarding Reopening School Buildings report, which includes science-based and health-focused guidelines for schools to reopen in a way that meets the needs of students and educators. You can also find many more resources regarding the impact of COVID-19 on our schools at NEA’s Educating Through Crisis website, as well as AEA’s COVID-19 update page.
We encourage you to read through these resources and discuss them with fellow CEA members (and non-members) at your site. Together, we will work to ensure a safe, quality learning and teaching experience for our community.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our school reopening survey. You can now view a summary of the survey results (these results have been shared with Dr. Casteel this morning).
The CUSD reopening plans will be discussed at tonight’s Governing Board meeting. The study session starts at 4:30pm, followed by the regular meeting at 7:00pm. We encourage everyone in the CUSD community to study the agenda and supporting documents, as well as view the meeting live on YouTube.
We know this is a very difficult time right now, so please reach out to your Site Representative or Executive Board if you need anything. We also hope you’ll consider joining our reopening task force subcommittees to continue the conversation about what school will look like when we reopen.
CEA stands in solidarity with students who are part of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities as they call out systems of oppression that directly impact marginalized students. For more information on how CEA is fighting systemic racism and how you can help, please visit our Anti-Racism Action Statement page at chandlerea.org/antiracism.
It’s finally here … potential members can now join CEA, AEA, and NEA online! Visit mynea360.org/s/join-now for more details, and review these instructions for assistance. Be sure to spread the word and share this link with those who might want to join.
