Nationwide, the teachers’ unions are notorious for influencing school board elections and have a well-documented history of donating to and promoting liberal candidates and causes. In the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD), the Cherry Creek Education Association (CCEA/teachers union) is becoming stronger as CCSD has allowed the CCEA greater influence within the district. This influence has allowed CCEA to move beyond its purview of teacher representation.
On July 11th, Randi Weingarten, president of the National Teachers Union known for keeping schools closed during the pandemic, tweeted the results of a nationwide survey of teachers and public-school staff. Her tweet read, “Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents say schools have become too politicized, following a year of political attacks on teachers waged by politicians stoking culture wars and banning books for political gain.” This survey also revealed a 34-point increase in job dissatisfaction.” This statement is hugely hypocritical. Let me explain.
The union pushes radical leftist agendas and racist ideology under the guise of equity. In CCSD, the push to view everything through the lens of equity has been a recurring theme since about 2008. The idea that the achievement gap (the academic discrepancy between our white students and our students of color) that has plagued the district for decades is due to our staff, policies, and curriculums being favorable to white students. While I think it is valuable to examine biases in attitudes of teachers, and in curriculum; to assume all teachers and all curriculums are to blame for the achievement gap is a misnomer.
On June 13th, 2022, the CCSD Board of Education (BOE) strengthened its partnership with the union by making the CCEA partners in the hiring process, to ensure CCSD hires more people of color. So now, the union will: 1) Control the BOE elections to insure favorable bargaining partners. 2) Maintain strength by pressuring teachers into paying union dues. The union has a strong presence at new teacher orientations according to onboarding slides on the CCSD BOE website, and according to teachers, (who always remain anonymous when it comes to sharing information about the union). They are called “freeloaders” if they do not pay the union for collective bargaining services. 3) Control who CCSD hires. Like in many communities, the union has too much control in CCSD.
The CCEA gives money to and promotes Black Lives Matter (BLM) curriculum. As a result of a recent Colorado Opens Record Act (CORA) request, correspondence from Kasey Ellis, president of the CCEA, cites that CCEA donated to the BLM organization. This was money generated from dues collected from teachers and CCSD staff. The CCEA also pushed out a BLM curriculum to be used during BLM week in action during Black History Month this year. This curriculum encouraged children to pledge allegiance to BLM, and to locate where they fall on an oppression/power wheel. More information about this curriculum and further proof it was pushed out by the CCEA and CCSD administration can be found on the Cherry Creek Parent Advocacy Network (CCPAN) website at www.cherrycreekparents.org. With less than half of 3rd graders in CCSD and Colorado being proficient in reading and math, the teacher’s union has no time to waste in placing children in identity groups and having discussions on their power or oppression based on the color of their skin or sexual preference.
The teacher’s unions are destroying our schools, our kids and subsequently, the future of our country. Our kids are not getting enough instruction on the core curriculum content, and discussions about identity politics and sexuality steal valuable instructional minutes.
Weingarten needs to take a good look in the mirror when making accusations about how politics has infiltrated our schools. Do teachers know that the national teacher’s union colluded with the CDC to keep kids out of schools during the pandemic? Do teachers know that their dues go to BLM? Not all teachers agree with BLM, yet the union supports it and other controversial entities with teachers’ union dues.
The teacher’s unions are the largest labor unions in the country with three million dues paying members. It is a force to be reckoned with, but we can chip away at their stranglehold on CCSD if teachers stop paying union dues. There are alternatives! Teachers can check out the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE) at www.coloradoteachers.org, www.forkidsandcountry.org and www.freedomforteachers.org and other websites where they can get support in lieu of the teacher’s union. Be strong teachers! CCSD students need you! See beyond union pressure and bullying! Stand up for what you know is right and for our children’s futures!
Responses
This is all so true, and very sad. I know many people who specifically moved to be in CCSD years ago for the education that it once offered, and now so many of those people have either moved out of the district or opted for private school (including our family). It is hard to stand up for what you believe, especially when the narrative suggests that you are in the minority. However, I’ve learned in the past couple of years that it only takes a person or two to have the courage to speak up and so many others come out of the woodwork with similar opinions. I think many people have forgotten that there is actually a middle ground on most fundamental issues. If more objective discussions around these issues were “allowed”, and if more teachers felt safe (in terms of job stability or being canceled) using their gifts to actually teach and empower kids to think critically, many teachers might surprise us on how they can positively impact our children. It’s a shame that both parties (kids and many teachers) are not empowered to utilize critical thinking and intuition in terms of discovering and sharing their gifts. Thanks for speaking out Jen!