Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/426191
AEA Advocate x Winter 2014/15 27 worked together to get out the vote throughout the election. On election night, the community came together to watch the results come in. Victory came early for the campaign when the early voting results were posted and showed they had won from the early ballot numbers alone. The crowd was jubilant and thanked GEA for their contribution and efforts. "I'm getting all the kudos, but it was really Jennifer and Lisa who deserve the credit," says Drazinski. "There were so many people involved in this campaign. It really was a community effort." This election victory means the GPS board now has a pro-public education majority thanks to the efforts of GEA standing up for students and educators. "We're still a conservative community and I don't think GEA or any teacher is saying we can't be a conservative community," says Drazinski. "I think what we and the voters are saying is that we want to have school board members who support public education and are not seeking to dismantle our public schools." The election campaign taught many lessons and provided many positive outcomes for GEA. Nan Rhodes and Tom Mihalchick both attended communication training at Summer Institute and were able to set up an effective communication system for GEA. Jennifer Lugo took on GEA's Facebook profile as well as campaign activities. GEA's Association Representatives are more active and more members have been identified as site leaders. GEA's increased capacity and leadership development, along with their new community partnerships, will be useful for their next steps. "Our job now is to make the community understand what the last two years of this school board has cost the district in terms of education and what we can provide at this point," says Drazinski. "The community needs to be aware of the cuts and what's happening in the classroom in order to start the conversation about an override." "We are going to be training members to go out into the community and tell the story of what's going on and build a true community outreach program," says Smith. "Building relationships between educators and the community is an integral part of GEA's strength. You want to really have a relationship with the community so when you need their support, they've got your back." "I think the biggest lesson I learned from this is that it's important to know you're not alone," says Drazinski. "Do not hesitate to ask for help from AEA and reach out to surrounding local associations and your community. I'm a school teacher and this isn't what I do every day, so being able to call Ann or Andrew Morrill to ask for help when I needed it was amazing. I appreciated the phone calls and emails of support I received from my colleagues and other local presidents. I think the bigger part of our success was finding ways to make connections to people who are like-minded so we could spread the information. Once we established that connection we became united in our cause and stronger as a community." 2 GEA School Board Race, cont. from page 10 A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE "I think the biggest lesson I learned from this is that it's important to know you're not alone. Do not hesitate to ask for help from AEA and reach out to surround- ing local associations and your community." —Diane Drazinski, GEA President Jill Humphreys (right) speaks with a voter at the kickoff rally.