From the President

On Monday, February 20th, many public school educators, parents, union members and other concerned citizens joined together to rally support for public education. There were over 2500 people who descended upon the state capitol in Salem. I am proud to say that from Portland we sent 5 buses of people to the rally, while dozens of others came by car. We were joined by many political hopefuls; theses candidates all recognize that without a strong public school system there cannot be a strong and vibrant economy. The candidates who attended were, Sharon Meieran, Jennifer Williamson, Charlie Hales, Eileen Brady, and Dwight Holton. (Note that both Mary Nolan and Jefferson Smith joined the rally but in their current role as State Representatives)

Many of our members made appointments with legislators to let them know what is actually happening on the ground. The ask? To let us do our job and to provide the means so we can meet all of our students’ needs. To value and seek teacher and parent input in education legislation. To recognize that our public school system is not for sale. That corporate greed has no place in this public setting.

Thank to all of you who participated!

The next opportunity to have your voice heard is Tuesday, March 6. This OEIB(Oregon Education Investment Board) community meeting was just added. It is being held at the Center for Self Enhancement from 6:30 to 8:30 3920 N. Kerby Avenue, Portland. Please attend.

The 6 of 8 High School Schedule Arbitration
During the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 ,the 6 of 8 Arbitration took place. The Association clearly and honestly made the case that the district violated the agreement. Many high school teachers, PAT staff and governance testified in the proceedings. We hope to have a ruling within the next 8 weeks. More information will come.

From Your Legislative Committee
Education Town Hall
The “Education Town Hall Happy Hour” was well received by legislators and teachers. On January 27th we hosted an event to give teachers a chance to share their stories with Legislators before they returned to Salem for the current legislative session. Our elected officials wanted and welcomed the chance to hear from teachers. Representatives that participated were: Representative Mary Nolan, Representative Michael Dembrow, Representative Margaret Doherty, Representative Lew Fredrick, and newly appointed Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer. Thanks to all for sharing and listening.

PIE Convention- This year the PIE(People for the Improvement of Education) convention is in Portland on March 9th and 10th. If you are a PIE contributor sign up for PIE online. If you contribute even $5 to the state PAC, you can attend the PIE convention. Go to: www.oregoned.org/pie2012 This is another way to talk directly with people who are running for office.

T.V.I.P.(Teachers Voice in Politics)- The general board meeting to vote on recommendations for Mayoral Race, County Commisioners, City Commissioners, and Metro council races will be held on Friday, March 2 at 4:30 pm.

Teacher for A Day was a huge success!
On January 13th reporters, legislators, school board members, and other community leaders spent a half day in classrooms. It is so important for the people making decisions about education to spend time in a classroom and see all the great work we are doing. Thank you to all the participants. The lists below are the educators and guests who participated.