WAEA: After The Bell...: Recent Episodes
Zachary
In this episode we sit down with IEA's Executive Director Paul Stark to discuss the 2024 Lobby Day and expectations of challenges/opportunities in this year's legislative session.
Our amazing WAEA Observer, Sue Darden, is back and just in time to help us process a rather dramatic WA Board meeting. Join us as we review the November 13th meeting which had book bans, tutor.com review, our reconsideration process and much more.
In this episode we sit down with West Ada's Chief HR Officer Dave Roberts to discuss the 2023 Open Enrollment period and the benefits available therein.
Topics Covered:
- What is Open Enrollment
- Why review/change your benefits
- District Contributions and Funding Formulas
- Increasing medical costs
- Short Term Disability
- Empower Wellness Program
- Telehealth
- How to enroll
- Special enrollment periods
In this episode, we sit down with WAEA endorsed candidate and incumbent WA Trustee Rene Ozuna to discuss her background, her history as a trustee and her priorities if she were to be re-elected to her position.
And off we go... While a new school year starts with a lot of energy, hope and joy, it also comes hand-in-hand with many questions and challenges. In this first episode of the 23-24 school year, we sit down with WA Superintendent, Dr. Derek Bub to be informed and united in this exciting new beginning.
In this episode we discuss:
- The District's new theme: "attitude over adversity"
- Bussing
- The move back to average daily attendance for funding
- The impacts of the failed levy last spring
- Disbanding of the multi-lingual magnet programs
- Potential legislative challenges to our libraries
- Online bullying of teachers
- The "Pulse Check" survey
- and much more!
The 22-23 school year was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. To help us process some of the major events and see what's in the cards for next year, we sit down for our annual chat with West Ada Superintendent, Dr. Derek Bub.
In this episode we discuss:
- State funding
- The failure of the facilities levy
- Teacher retention
- Chat GPT
- Employee dress codes
- And much more..
In this episode we break down negotiations for the 23-24 contract with two members of the WAEA Negotiations Team Herby Kojima and Carmi Scheller.
The contract ratification vote will take place Thursday, May 25th from 3:30-6pm in the Salmon Room at the District Service Center (this room is in the training center on the East side of the building).
In February, the West Ada Board of Trustees unanimously approved a Plant Facilities Levy to be put on the May election ballot. Being the largest district in the state, and one of the most concentrated areas of the record growth the state has experienced in the last few years, the results of this election stand to dramatically affect what the next few years look like for our district.
**In order to help us wrap our heads around this decision and the stakes of the outcome, we sit down with Chief Operations Officer Johnathan Gillan and Director of Education Services David Reinhart.
Read more about the projects the PFL will likely be used for and how it might affect local property taxes if passed on the district website.**
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on all the issues of the evening.
In this episode we discuss:
- West Ada's Facilities Master Plan and Funding Proposals
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K6jGJggA1T2MpofciJPE5zaoaAQBXc_r/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=104733766717476981384&rtpof=true&sd=true
You can watch the full board meeting here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/SANimJnJCl4?feature=share
View the Facilities Master Plan and Funding Proposal PPT here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tgvKQZCmEc6X1RJXPR4p9Op91d-laDJQ/view?usp=share_link
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on all the issues of the evening.
In this episode we discuss:
- WAEA's Local Lobby Day
- Approval for additional funds for bussing
- Calendar revisions
- Trampolines/rebounding devices
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-OBt6H9vWy14RjBJcX88ZD79478u_aLF/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=104733766717476981384&rtpof=true&sd=true
Or you can watch the full board meeting here:
https://youtu.be/vvJy3eWkAPA
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening.
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
The IEA's annual "Educators' Day on the Hill" is coming up on January 16th and many WAEA members will be in attendance to establish relationships with legislators and proactively advocate for public education in the state of Idaho. We have a large group of 1st time Lobby Day attendees this year, so we sat down with the IEA's Political Director and head lobbyist Chris Parri to get a little bit of information about the event, how to prepare and what is at stake.
While the larger IEA Lobby Day registration is already closed, you can still register for the WAEA's "Little Lobby Day" on January 23rd (email president@westadaea.org for more info) or become a contributing P.A.C.E. member by signing up on the IEA's website here:
https://idahoea.org/advocacy/pace/
In a profession fraught with extremely difficult and complex challenges, there are few as complex and frustrating as the issue of extreme student behaviors. In this episode we sit down with Jamie Giebler and Jennifer Tachell, the District's two Behavioral Consultants, to help us unpack the nature of the problem and what supports/solutions are available to those struggling this year.Mandt Crisis Cycle ChartMulti-Tiered Systems of Support
In the last year, there have been few voices or organizations that have championed the cause of public education as powerfully as Reclaim Idaho. Reclaim is the group behind the wildly popular ballot initiatives for expanding Medicaid which was overwhelming approved two years ago, and the Quality Education Act which likely would have passed this year but was pulled in September after successfully accomplishing it's primary goal of increasing spending on education.
In this episode we sit down with one of Reclaim's co-founders, Luke Mayville to discus the organizations successful previous actions, organizing strategy and the group's current focus: stopping voucher (or voucher-like programs) from advancing in this year's legislative session.
**Last week, Chief HR Officer Dave Roberts sent out a leadership survey which is taking the place of the climate surveys the district had previously administered. The WAEA has experienced a large amount of confusion and some distrust over the survey and how its results would be used. As a result, we invited Nick Smith on the podcast to help us clear up a few issues and help put folks at ease about the survey.
All surveys must be filled out by Friday, December 16th and this information is really an invaluable tool not only for the district but the association in helping identify problem schools. We implore all teachers in the district who have not yet already done so to listen to the interview and take the survey as soon as possible!**
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on all the issues of the evening.
In this episode we discuss:
• Math Symposium
• High School Advisory
• Tudor.com
• All Day Kindergarten
• Work Session on WA Core Values
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rPpF34S87nG1lGRilH3BjkN5YIn_-LI6/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=104733766717476981384&rtpof=true&sd=true
Or you can watch the full board meeting here:
https://youtu.be/Snw8MXW1PZ0
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening.
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
**On Friday, October 14th the West Ada School District announced that it would be switching its insurance provider from Blue Cross of Idaho to Regence. Blue Cross has been the districts provider for 22 years, so the decision was not one that was made lightly.
In this episode, we sit down with the District's Chief HR Officer, Dave Roberts, to talk us through the decision, help us understand some of the things to expect with the change, and how to best utilize our insurance benefits.**
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening.
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
In our second episode of interviews with local candidates, we sit down with Terry Gilbert who is the IEA endorsed Democratic nominee running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
We discuss Mr. Gilbert's background, the difference between Democrats and Republicans on education, his priorities if elected, school funding, and many other topics.
Read more about Terry and his campaign here.
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening.
In this episode we discuss:
- Textbook committees
- Policy changes/updates
- Policy vs. procedures
- Continuing bussing issues
- Middle school late work policy committee
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
In our first episode of interviews with local candidates, we sit down with Debbie Critchfield who is the Republican nominee running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
We discuss Ms. Critchfield's background, what her priorities would be if elected, school funding, and many other topics.
Read more about Debbie and her campaign here.
Sue is gone this week, so we sit down with WAEA Vice-President Carmi Scheller to recap the important take-aways from the September 12th WA Board of Trustees meeting.
In this episode we discuss:
- WA Facilities Survey
- Bussing
- Continuous Improvement Plan (3rd reading)
- Communications Policy Update (2nd Reading)
- L2 Form Approval (3rd Reading)
- Door-Locking Procedure
On September 1st, 2022, Governor Brad Little called the Idaho Legislature back for an extraordinary session to vote on a bill that utilized a chunk of the state's record budget surplus to address the effects of inflation. While most of the bill was going towards tax refunds, a significant portion of these monies was reserved for K-12 education. The bill passed with bipartisan support and has since been signed into law, but there still remains a lot of confusion surrounding the timing of the bill and questions about its possible effects.
We sit down with the IEA endorsed candidate and incumbent House Representative from District 15, Steve Berch, to discuss what happened in the special session, what he has learned about Idahoans' concerns while door-knocking in his district, and the precarious future of education in our state.
Learn more about Steve and his campaign here.
Blake Lyman is in his 3rd year teaching elementary music; he is also a brand new member of the association AND the WAEA's treasurer on the executive board. We talk with Blake about why he joined the association and what motivated him to get so deeply involved in its functions so quickly.
Learn more about the smokey room experiment and the "diffusion of responsibility" here.
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening.
In this episode we discuss:
- The Special Legislative Session called by Gov. Little (pre-press conference)
- New door locking procedures
- West Ada Transportation System
- New fee hearing
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening
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In this episode we discuss:
- Standards Referenced Grading
- The final reading of Policy 401.20
- The West Ada Education Foundation presentation
Find out more about the Education Foundation here.
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
Getting out of the yearly cycle of existential threats to public education will require electing more politicians with a practical understanding of education as well as real empathy for educators. One such political hopeful is Natalie MacLachlan, a WA theatre teacher and WAEA member who is running for the House of Representatives in Idaho District 22A.
We sit down with Ms. MacLachlan to talk about teaching, what inspired her to throw her hat in the ring, and what she would focus on if elected.
You can learn more about Natalie's platform as well as reach out to help from her website at Natalie4idaho.com
Miss Monday's WA Board meeting and need a quick summary of the important events? We catch up with Sue Darden, our diligent WA Observer, to get the run-down on on all the issues of the evening
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In this episode we discuss:
- Bub's Update
- Policy 401.20 + Patron input
- 5 new revised policies introduced by our new Deputy Superintendent Nick Smith
- The work session on district communications
You can read Sue's fantastic notes on the meeting here!
Sue is gone this month, so we sit down with the Carmi Scheller, WAEA's awesome VP to get the low-down on the most recent WA Board meeting.
In this episode, we cover:
A long, difficult year
Teacher burnout (an update)
David Binetti's first meeting as a board member
WA's new website
Interventions/Bussing/Budgets
and much more!
Catch the full meeting here:
https://youtu.be/utv_Zbcj4D8
After The Bell ends the year as we started it, talking with WA Superintendent Dr. Derek Bub.
Much has happened this year (positive and negative) and we face many challenges in the years to come. We ask Dr. Bub about all of it and much more...
Even though it feels like things are winding down for the the year, there is still a lot of important business happening at the board meetings! To get the run-down of the most recent meeting (5/23/22) we are again joined by Sue Darden, our vigilant WAEA Board observer.
In this episode we discuss:
The districts plan for bussing to Renaissance/IFAA + Patron criticism
The 1st reading of Policy 401.20 and patron criticism
Our new WA Board member
Mr. Gillian's expenditures presentation
Sue's full notes on the meeting can be found here.
To watch the board meeting (District justifications/patron feedback/Gillian presentation) click here.
To read the 1st draft of policy 401.20, click here
In this episode, we talk to Kate Doty, the WAEA's Director of Negotiations about the process of preparing for and negotiating a tentative agreement with the district. We discuss the plan, the wins and some of the challenges for next year.
See Kate's presentation on the tentative agreement HERE
Make sure to attend and vote at our ratification party at the DSC on 5/19/22 or send in your proxy vote with your building rep!
On Tuesday, May 3rd the WAEA had presentations by, as well as a Q&A with, a number of local House and Senate candidates that were officially endorsed by the IEA. This episode is a compilation of the presentations each of the candidates made to the group at that event.
For more information about each of the candidates, you can visit their websites:
Sen. Fred Martin (Incumbent D15): http://www.fred4idaho.com/
Ali Rabi (Candidate for Senate D16): https://www.aliforidaho.com/about
Rep. Steve Berch (Incumbent D15): https://www.berch4idaho.com/
Natalie MacLachlan (Candidate D22): https://natalie4idaho.com/
Dom Gelsomino (Candidate D21A): https://dom4idaho.com/
Sonia Galaviz (Candidate D16A): https://www.soniagalaviz.com/
For more information about P.A.C.E. or becoming a P.A.C.E. contributing member, visit the IEA's site here:
https://idahoea.org/iea-pace/
Miss the board meeting on Monday night and need a quick recap?
In this episode we catch up with our WAEA Observer, Sue Darden, about the April 25th WA Board of Trustees meeting.
Sam tells his story about joining the union and having 1-on-1 conversations with non-members.
Miss the board meeting on Monday night and need a quick recap?
In this episode we catch up with our WAEA Observer, Sue Darden, about the April 11th WA Board of Trustees meeting.
Sam Perez, The WAEA President, gives his monthly update on the union's activities and what to look forward to!
In this episode we catch up with our WAEA Observer, Sue Darden, about the March 14th WA Board of Trustees meeting.
Sam's monthly update for February 2022. In this episode, Sam covers what we know about House Bill 443 (Insurance) and explains the media statement the WAEA made in response to the district's lack of transparency in its COVID dashboard.
We again get a summary of important events that transpired at the most recent WA Board of Trustees meeting from our vigilant WAEA observer Sue Darden. In this episode we discuss:
- Trustee Johnson's resignation and how a new trustee will be chosen
- Open Meeting Violation #2
- The CTE spotlight
- New school schedule proposals (including a spring P/T conference)
- Opioid lawsuit presentation
You can view Sue's detailed meeting notes HERE
After Senate Bill 1238, also known as the "Self-Directed Learner Bill" unanimously passed the Senate, we sat down with Senator Thayn, the author of the bill, to discuss the its conception and potential impacts. Additionally we discuss his place on the Senate Education Committee and some of the looming educational crises we face as a state.
Today we talk with former West Ada Board member Ed Klopfenstein, who is spearheading a new organizing effort to counter some of the instability and partisanship that he believes is forming around board elections and operations. We talk with Ed about his tenure, the wild-ride of COVID, and what motivated him to leave the board and co-found this new organizing committee.
The "Let's Get Organized Committee" meets online on Wednesday, February 2nd at 6:30pm. To join the meeting you can search the group on Facebook, or we will post the link here the day of the meeting.
We discuss the January 24th Board of Trustees meeting with our diligent WAEA Observer Sue Darden. Covering topics such as:
- The uncovering of the source of an open meetings violation report!
- The re-election of the chair and vice-chair positions
- Public comment
- Dr. Bub's report on COVID in our district and the Dashboard's shortcomings
- Removal of parent notification emails
- Proposed new year start/end schedule
We start off another exciting year talking with Sue Darden, our infamous WAEA observer, about Monday's WA Board of Trustees meeting (1/10/22). We discuss a variety of topics:
- The new board members.
- The first clash that occured over leadership organization
- Bub's Spotlight
- The District's COVID numbers dashboard
- Open meeting laws
- What to expect this year
Read Sue's detailed meeting notes HERE
In this episode, WAEA President Sam Perez recaps the year and talks about all that we have accomplished during these really challenging times.
It is pretty clear, to anyone who cares to look or ask, that teachers working today are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, stress and pressure about their jobs. Some are predicting a "great resignation" if something doesn't change soon.
Today, we talk with Carmi Scheller, the WAEA Vice-President about teacher burnout: what it is and what we need to do as a state, as a district and as individulas to ensure we don't lose some of our most caring and talented teachers, who feel as though they just can not stay in the profession any longer...
Unable to attend the most recent WA Board of Trustee meeting, or just want a quick run-down of all the important things that happened?
We discuss the meeting that occured on Monday, November 15th with our ever-vigilant WAEA Observer, Sue Darden.
In this episode we discuss:
The Superintendent's Update
Multiple Policy proposals that passed first reading
Marcus Meyer's Fall Benchmark Data Review
The Return to Masks Optional - Begining November 29th
On November 2nd, voters in West Ada Zones 1&3 will pick the two individuals to Replace Trustees Klopfenstein and Buffi on the WA Board of Trustees. In this episode, we sit down to talk with two candidates Brent Hart (Zone 1) and Anita Beckman (Zone 3) to get a sense of who they are, what qualifies/motivates them to be in this position, and what their priorities would be if elected.
** NOTE - Lori Frasure (also Zone 1) and Angie Redford (Zone 3) were asked to take part in this episode as well, but both camps refused to participate... more on this in the episode.
Miss the WA Board of Trustee meeting last night, or just want a quick rundown? Today we chat with Sue Darden, our resident WAEA Observer about all the most recent happenings.
We cover:
The latest with the Amy Johnson protests
Bub's update/District spotlights
Trustee Rezoning Map
Revised communications policies
Link to Sue's Notes from the meeting HERE
Miss last night's meeting, or want a quick recap? In this episode we discuss the most recent WA Board meeting with our official Association Observer, Sue Darden.
Sue's Notes
602.20 Academic Freedom and Responsibility in Teaching Controvercial Issues
403.80 (Revised) Title IX - Non-Descrimination Policy
Today we talked with Sam Perez, the new President of the WAEA, about his background; the job of a union president; the association's goals for the year; the challenges we face with COVID-19; CRT furvor and teachers' rights in their classroom.
In this episode we talk with Sue Darden, our resident board meeting expert, about the big happenings at the trustee meeting that occured on September 8th, 2021. We discuss Sue's history with the association and board meetings before diving into Dr. Bub's mask announcement, the Academic Freedom policy's second reading, a supplimental levy and more.
Sue's notes on the meeting can be found HERE.
HERE is a link to the Academic Freedom and Responsibility in Teaching Controvercial Topics policy #602.20
West Ada hired over 230 new certified employees this year! We took the opportunity to chat with a few of them at the new teacher event held on August 18th about where they are from, what their previous experiences are and about the prospects (both exciting and scary) for the upcoming school year.
In this very first episode of WAEA: After The Bell, I interview Dr. Bub about his background, the coming year's challenges, and a variety of other topics.