The LAE Voice: Volume 14, No. 3 - December 2017

EDUCATORS LEAD POWERFUL MOVEMENT IN TANGIPAHOA PARISH

Sometimes, when you see an injustice, you have no choice but to stand up - not for what is easy, but for what is right. It is this sentiment that drove a school employee-led action in Tangipahoa Parish - one which many believe will initiate changes to the way the school district handles business.

This November, Tangipahoa Parish citizens were asked to approve a property tax increase. While dollars generated from the tax would go toward a minimal pay boost for school employees, most would also notice a hike in expenses due to the increase in taxes. When Tangipahoa Parish Association of Educators President Ryan Lawrence heard about the proposal, something didn’t sit right.

“Over the years, the Tangipahoa Parish community has passed several taxes benefiting schools. They approved taxes for a magnet program, an alternative school, a juvenile detention center, and even a general school board tax,” Lawrence said. “Filling in financial gaps with yet another tax doesn’t address the long-term issues affecting our parish school system.”

The issue was particularly troubling for support employees, especially parish school bus drivers who own their buses and have to foot the costs of yearly maintenance on a $15,000 annual salary. Bus drivers across the parish started to talk about their discontent for the measure. When Lawrence got wind of the talk, he jumped into action. He reached out to local school bus driver Cabrina Robertson to determine how they could work together to organize parish school employees. Together, Lawrence and Robertson hosted meetings for local drivers to weigh in on the issue. The response was unprecedented. More than 100 drivers attended the meetings to voice their concerns – everything from compensation to workplace morale. Lawrence and Robertson compiled the feedback gathered from each meeting and made plans to present the information to the school board.

“The pay issue brought us together, but we ultimately determined a much more pressing issue: the need for collaboration on all decisions impacting our work environments,” said Robertson.

When the time came to present the list of issues to the school board, more than 200 drivers showed up in support of a statement read on their behalf - a message calling for collaboration and professional respect. Not only did the statement shine a light on issues impacting educators’ work environments, but it fostered an important discussion between board members, employees, and the general public, causing many to acknowledge the need to take a closer look at raising school employee morale. Lawrence said he was amazed at the unity displayed by the dedicated workers.

“This is the beginning of a movement. Would it have been nice to get an extra $100 a month? Sure. But the more important issue is about showing appreciation to the people who so selflessly dedicate their lives to kids. We need to show them gratitude with a respectable raise, something another tax simply can’t accomplish,” Lawrence said. “We will continue to keep the pressure on the school board to investigate ways to better allocate funds in the school system’s budget in order to accommodate reasonable, longterm, district-wide pay raises.”

When Election Day came, the tax failed. And while this defeat was considered a win, educators felt they experienced a greater victory in their efforts to bring larger issues to the forefront.

“We came together to let the public hear our side, and now, all eyes are on the school board to do what’s right,” Lawrence said. “I truly believe that our work on this issue will result in more inclusive collaboration with school board members, and if this happens, we’ve accomplished our goal.”

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

Debbie Meaux, President

This joyous season, I wish each of you time for family and a period of rejuvenation. We all know how hectic our everyday lives can be - especially in our careers as educators. Please know that you’re in my thoughts this Holiday Season. While we try to fit it all in and give those we love the best of ourselves, I hope each of you can find some peace during your time off of work.. I hope you can find some time to focus on yourselves - take that extra-long nap, read a book that’s been calling your name, or just sit alone and be still.

Before things slow down, I want to remind you about a very important item on the association’s calendar: LAE Leadership Elections. Please keep in mind that the nomination process is now open for several seats on the LAE Board of Directors as well as NEA Representative Assembly Delegate seats. Information on openings and timelines is available at lae.org/ election2018. In a democratically run organization like the LAE, the strength of the whole is determined by those who lead. We are only as strong as those who carry the torch. If you have a passion for our schools and your students, consider stepping into a leadership position. All nominations must be submitted by no later than Sunday, January 7, 2018, at 11:59 pm.

Now that I’ve shared this information, I want to shift the focus of this message to say goodbye to someone in the LAE who has been an institution and an inspiration to so many of us. Our executive director, Ms. Lynda Guidry, will retire in January. She’s been a prominent figure with the association since the 70s. She was a teacher and local association president in St. Martin Parish, and eventually transitioned to full-time association work as a UniServ Director. She moved into management as LAE Field Services Director and eventually took over as head of operations when she stepped into the role of LAE Executive Director. Lynda took on this role during a time when the LAE was facing major challenges, but her dedication for Louisiana’s educators and students helped her to look past the challenges to help the association adopt a new way of doing its organizing work. This move has been so successful that the NEA now regards Louisiana as an affiliate “on the move” and has invested more than two million dollars in our state programs.

There is no way to thank an individual who has given her entire career to the betterment of the education profession, its professionals, and the children served in our state. Lynda’s legacy is, undoubtedly, cemented into LAE’s history. So many of us know her to be not only a force of nature, but a force with which to be reckoned. Thousands of school employees have gotten to know her vivacious spirit and passion for union activism. I, along with my team of leaders, trust her instincts surrounding issues that stand to impact the association. Lynda has not only been my right-hand woman, but also my friend and biggest champion. I have come to depend upon her good nature, spot-on advice, and her confidence in my leadership abilities; and I’m happy that she plans to continue to serve the association as a retired member (she’ll lead the LAE-founded Louisiana Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a group dedicated to raising awareness about community schools model).

Please join me in wishing Lynda well as she embarks on the next stage in her life.

As we look toward the future, I am confident that the association will experience continued success. We are gearing up for several exciting initiatives in 2018 including Read Across Louisiana, the Thank a Louisiana Educator campaign, the annual legislative session, and advocacy efforts surrounding testing practices. We enter 2018 with ambitious goals that are sure to keep us busy, and we look forward to meeting more members so we can share news on the good work of the association. Until then, I hope your holidays are restful and filled with the joys of the season, and that the New Year brings great blessings. Take care and be blessed.

In Solidarity,

Debbie Meaux

LAE AND NEA TEAM UP TO EXPAND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFERINGS FOR MEMBER EDUCATORS

The LAE Teaching and Learning Center continues to solidify its position as a respected professional development provider for Louisiana’s K-12 public school employees. Through a partnership with the NEA Center for Great Public Schools, LAE’s Teaching and Learning Center offers unique course options focusing on the professional growth needs of membereducators. Its most compelling attribute: curriculum developed by Louisiana educators, for Louisiana educators. LAE Teaching and Learning Center Coordinator Suzanne Harris is a teacher fresh out of the classroom, so she truly understands the value of relevant and accessible training opportunities for Louisiana’s school employees.

“We’re working to connect our course offerings to the educators who need them,” Harris said. “Trainings that would normally be ‘out of the budget’ for school employees are free to LAE members, which only stands to prove the value of association membership.”

Another immediate focus of the Teaching and Learning Center is growing the center’s pool of trainers so that the LAE can sponsor member-led “pop-up” workshops in school districts across the state.

“So many of our veteran educators want to help their colleagues thrive in the profession,” Harris said. “The LAE-TLC’s facilitator trainings provide opportunities for these educators to learn best practices for presenting topics on the aspects of the education profession they’re passionate about.”

This fall, the LAE-TLC hosted workshops on topics ranging from Praxis I study sessions to National Board Certification support. Harris, along with her team of LAE staff and member trainers Antonio Pelt, Alishia Vallien, and Jim Croad, hosted an extremely successful workshop in St. Martin Parish where more than 500 support professionals learned about about cultural competency and how it contributes to unconscious bias. The group presented thoughtprovoking activities on how to avoid student service inequities by making opportunities accessible to every student, regardless of their need, circumstance, or personal obstacle.

Harris said the Teaching and Learning Center is planning trainings for early 2018, which include a Cultural Competency Facilitator training in Baton Rouge (January 6 and 7) and National Board Certification JumpStart trainings offered in two locations (January 12 -13 in Baton Rouge and January 19 – 21 in Shreveport). LAE-TLC workshop topics to look out for in 2018 include Early Career Success Strategies, Recognizing Differences and Creating Opportunities, Praxis I Preparation, and other blended learning topics. For updated information on dates and locations for these trainings, visit www.lae.org/teachingandlearning.

LAE MEMBERS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING ATTEND TRAINING TO STRENGTHEN CONNECTION TO ASSOCIATION

Supporting Louisiana educators during the early years in the profession has become a top priority for the LAE. This November, a team of Louisiana educators (who’ve been working in the profession for fewer than five years) joined dozens of their colleagues from across the nation in Portland, Oregon to explore the landscape of the teaching profession for millennial educators. LAE’s Early Career Educator Organizer Yvie Johnson expressed her pride in the talented group of educators who represented Louisiana.

“There’s power in what happens when we make a space for educators to take charge,” Johnson said. “I am encouraged by this diverse group and look forward to seeing how they apply their hard work in their home districts.”

The team representing Louisiana had the opportunity to share their experiences with “Early Career Learning Labs” where veteran teachers partner with their colleagues with five years of experience or less to help them expand their professional knowledge. They also established relationships with their colleagues from across the nation and made plans to collaborate with one another on future initiatives.

Thanks to LAE members Aimee Lafleur, Rachelle Dehrab, Evita Baylor, and Kiersten Peltier for representing the association with such grace and professionalism. Your hard work will help shape the association’s plans for supporting educators new to Louisiana’s teaching force.