Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1095286
President's Message Kathy Vetter WEA President kvetter@wyoea.org 1 Member Involvement Makes a Diff erence I want to thank everyone who called, emailed, and talked to their legislators during this past session. I also want to personally thank those of you who attended SHAPE Wyoming in Cheyenne during the legislative session. Legislators were very aware of the many educators present at the Jonah building, that Monday. Your involvement truly made a diff erence in the passage of some very important education bills. I would like to give a special shout-out to Rachel Gibson. Rachel traveled to Cheyenne several times to testify on House Bill proposed amendments to House Bill 24, the National Board- Certifi ed Teacher bill. She gave her fi rst-ever testimony in front of the Senate Education Committee and did a fantastic job bringing a teacher's perspective before the committee. Thank you, Rachel for your help in getting this accomplished! You can see Rachel in action here: https://vimeo.com/315782249 The 2019 Legislative session was highly successful for K-12 and higher education. Our members' personal stories, shared with your legislators, helped WEA's lobbying eff orts to be eff ective this year. Please see pages 3-4 for a summary of this year's legislative session. When members get involved in our organization at the state, regional, or local level they can and do make a diff erence for education in Wyoming. I invite all of you to talk with your local and regional leaders and ask them how you can become involved. The more involved you are in your Association, the more you will value your membership. Attending local and regional meetings is a fi rst step in becoming involved in your association. Talk with your local leaders about how you can become active at the local level. Recruiting new members is one of the best ways to foster a healthy, engaged membership at WEA. Now is an especially good time, as we celebrate the success of the Pro-Rated Dues campaign and 4 for Your Membership and launch the Early Enrollment campaign on April 1st. Talk to new employees in your district about WEA, invite them to attend a local meeting with you. These conversations are a great fi rst step toward becoming active in your local. Here are more great ways to get involved: • Attend regional meetings. • Volunteer to do a training session at one of your regional meetings to share your skills and expertise. • Help out with membership recruitment campaigns. • Talk to members and non-members to learn and understand how the Association can identify and address their needs. When members get involved, our fellow members grow professionally, have empowered voices, and the impact on student learning is remarkable. Regional presidents are always working to get members involved at the regional level, so reach out to your regional president and fi nd out how you can get involved in your region. At the state level, you are invited to attend the upcoming WEA Visionary Leadership Quest July 18-20 in Casper. For more information about this event, see the back cover of this magazine. There are many opportunities for you to apply to be one of the NEA funded members to attend diff erent national leadership trainings throughout the year. WEA will notify members about these events and call for volunteer participants as dates and details become available. Your involvement is crucial in ensuring that we continue to be the voice for education in Wyoming. I encourage you to get involved and continue to grow as a WEA member, and as a leader in your school, district, and region. Rachel Gibson works with other WEA members at SHAPE Wyoming to prepare to lobby the legislature about teacher accountability.