Get Involved!

Run for a BEA Leadership Position!

Run for a BEA leadership position! Elections will take place the first week of May.  You can declare your candidacy by emailing the elections committee (Erin Gettling and/or David Nelson) by April 14th.

Open positions:

  • Four at-large executive board positions (two year term)
  • One at-large executive board position (one year term)
  • Substitute member executive board position (two year term)
  • Treasurer (two year term)
  • Secretary (two year term)

 

Run to be a delegate for the OEA and/or NEA Representative Assemblies!

Each year, BEA members elect delegates to attend both the Oregon Education Association and National Education Association Representative Assemblies. These annual meetings are where representatives of our local association join with educators from around the state for the OEA RA and from around the country for the NEA RA to pass new business to help steer the direction of our organization, approve legislative objectives, changes and additions to bylaws, policies, and resolutions, elect leadership, and hear about the work that our union has been doing for the last year.

The OEA RA will be Friday, April 21st through Saturday, April 22nd in Portland (we generally meet from 5-9 pm on Friday, and will meet all day on Saturday).  The NEA RA will be July 2nd – 6th in Orlando, FL.  If you have any questions about either of these events or what it means to be a delegate, please contact Katie Lukins at [email protected].

If you are interested in running to be a delegate for either OEA RA or NEA RA, please fill out this quick form by February 1st.  We will be holding elections for delegates in the second week of February.

It’s Vital to Pass the Beaverton Teachers’ Levy Renewal on November 8th

November election:

This November, among many other things, the future of our school district is on the ballot. Beaverton voters will be voting on the renewal of the operating levy that currently funds almost 300 teaching positions. This levy renewal won’t increase taxes and will maintain the funding for teaching positions.

This graphic shows how many teachers in each building are currently funded by the levy. Without passing the renewal of the levy, the funding for these positions will go away – resulting in a reduction in positions. As educators in Beaverton, we know how much support our students need.  We cannot afford to lose this funding and have our class sizes increase.  Join us to talk to voters about the importance of maintaining the funding for teaching positions in Beaverton!

Levy Campaign Events:

Talking face-to-face with voters (canvassing) is the most effective way to ensure that our neighbors vote.  We have planned four dates to gather and knock on doors together to talk to Beaverton voters about the importance of renewing the operating levy. Bring a friend and join us on at least one of these days to get the levy passed!

Sunday, October 23rd noon-3 pm
Meet at the BEA Office

Sunday, October 30th, noon-3 pm
Meet at Beaverton City Library

Saturday, November 5th, noon-3 pm
(Location TBD)

Sunday, November 6th, noon-3 pm
Aloha HS area (Exact meeting place TBD)

Sign up to canvass at bit.ly/BPACGOTV22.

Come Support Your BEA Bargaining Team!

We’ll be forming a gauntlet for every joint bargaining session to show support for the BEA Bargaining Team and to remind the BSD Team that we are united in our demand for a fair contract.  Bargaining sessions begin at 4:30 pm, so our presence outside as bargaining team members arrive will be a powerful visual reminder of our strength at the table.  Feel free to bring a sign showing your support for the team, highlighting a high class size or caseload, describing what you do during plan time, or demanding a fair contract.  Be sure to wear red and bring a colleague with you!

You can sign up to support the BEA Bargaining team in a variety of ways at bit.ly/BEABargain2022

Volunteer for the School Board Race

The BSD school board has four positions up for election on May 18th.  BPAC has interviewed and endorsed the following four candidates:

  • Zone 1 – Susan Greenberg
  • Zone 2 – Dr. Karen Pérez da Silva
  • Zone 4 – Sunita Garg
  • Zone 5 – Ugonna Enyinnaya

If you want to volunteer to help elect these candidates, there are opportunities to phone bank, to drop literature (leave flyers at voters’ homes), to distribute lawn signs, and more.  You can sign up here to get more information.

BEA Executive Board Elections are this week

You will receive ballots for BEA Executive Board elections in your district email this week, as well as a special edition Elections Focus with information about candidates and links to candidate speeches (in an email dated April 30th from Sara Schmitt).  If you have any questions about election processes or procedures, please reach out to Elections Task Force members Erin Gettling or David Nelson.

The positions and candidates are as follows:

BEA Executive Board At-Large Positions – 2 year term (3 open positions)

  • Julia Barto – 3rd grade teacher at McKinley ES
  • Terry Cherney – Special Education teacher at Beaverton HS
  • Andrew Dennis – Science teacher at Stoller MS
  • Aarti Kamalahasan – Kindergarten teacher at Sato ES
  • Betsy Thornewood – Social Studies teacher at Sunset HS

BEA Executive Board Substitute At-Large Position – 2 year term (1 open position)

  • Sarah Kennedy – BSD Substitute

BEA Treasurer – 2 year term

  • Adam Oyster-Sands – Language Arts teacher at Westview HS

BEA Secretary – 2 year term

  • Gretchen Mollers – Outreach and Engagment Specialist TOSA

Become a Delegate to the OEA and NEA Representative Assemblies!

The Beaverton Education Association is a local union that is part of the Oregon Education Association. As members, we are able to be a part of the governing body of OEA by serving as elected delegates to the OEA Representative Assembly. This year will be a virtual gathering, but there will still be opportunities to debate and vote on policies and bylaws, legislative objectives, budget, and new business for the association for the next year. OEA RA delegates also elect OEA officers at the RA (this year those elections will happen by mail).

This year, the OEA RA is April 16th and 17th in the privacy of your own home—that means you can guide the business of our union in your PJs!

Since BEA is a large local, we have a large number of allotted spots at the RA. In fact, we usually have far fewer people run than we have spots. We’d love to increase participation in order to give our members insight into the state-level union, as well as a voice in its priorities. If you are interested in running to be an OEA RA delegate, please fill out this form.

If you were elected last year, you still have a year left for your term and don’t need to run again. If you’re not sure where you are in your term, but would definitely like to participate this year, please go ahead and fill out the form and I’ll let you know what you need to do. Let me know if you have any questions at all!

Here’s a quick video with a look into the OEA RA.

But wait, there’s more!  If you’re interested in spending a week in July with 8,000 educators from across the country guiding the priorities, policies, and business of the National Education Association (NEA), please consider running to be a delegate to the NEA RA. This year’s event will be virtual, but the work is still vitally important.  If you’re interested in running or if you have questions, please fill out this form.

 

Give input on updates to ODE guidance on Returning to in-person instruction

From the Oregon Department of Education:

With the Governor’s recent announcements, elevating teacher voice is as important as ever. On December 23 Governor Brown announced changes to the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance. Some of these changes, including transitioning the Health Metrics for Returning to In-Person Instruction from mandatory to advisory, take effect on January 1, 2021. Other changes are set to be in place on or about January 19, 2021.

Over the next two weeks the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority will be engaging with school and community partners to explain the changes that took effect on January 1 and get input on any changes for the January 19 update. With the hope of these updates being informed by teacher voice, I’d like to hear your ideas and help to answer questions you may have.

Please consider joining us for one of the following opportunities:

Large group forums (limited to 400 participants) on Wednesday, January 6, 2021:
7-8:00 AM Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqfuCrrjwvHtT1OFsrRzcyiZQ4W6_7VU7Q
5-6:00 PM Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocOuppzgrH9AabbETtNGPeoL3SOVhZD9X

Small group idea sharing (limited to 40 participants) on Thursday, January 7, 2021
7-8:00 AM Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrdOCvpz4vH9IS_S8N0hVKUaLPJiHjdqsR
5-6:00 PM Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqc–grj8sH9HUHNwFUA3SxGil_ncYkJ_K

If you have questions in the meantime, please write to [email protected].

ODE Listening Sessions on Re-opening Schools for In-Person Instruction

The Oregon Department of Education is seeking input from educators surrounding the reopening of school buildings for the purpose of in-person instruction.  Please sign up for one of the sessions below to make your voice heard.  We are excited that ODE is soliciting input from educators, and hope to get as many folks in the “room” as possible as these decisions are being made.

We hope you’ll join one of the upcoming webinars. 

  • Session 1: Monday, December 7, 2020 at 5:00-6:00pm – Registration 
  • Session 2: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 7:00-8:00am – Registration 
  • Session 3: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 11:00am-12:00pm – Registration 
  • Session 4: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 5:00-6:00pm – Registration 
  • Session 5: Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 7:00-8:00am – Registration 

Contact Erin Rothweiler, [email protected] with questions.

Visit the Ready Schools, Safe Learners webpage for the latest information on the 2020-21 school year from ODE.

Bargaining starts tomorrow!

One of the major roles of the association is to bargain and enforce contract language for members.  Right now, we are in the midst of several bargains: our financial re-opener from last spring continues, we bargained working conditions for CDL, we have issued a demand to bargain for LIPI and Hybrid instruction, and our full contract bargain officially begins in spring 2021 (though we’re already starting to work on that). Check out our bargaining page to learn about the bargaining process and find out how you can get involved.