Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/437000
WNTER 2014 | wyoea.org 17 JEC WEA-PACE Had A Successful General Election Endorsement Process In statewide races, WEA-PACE endorsed four candidates, two of whom won. One candidate was rated as acceptable, and he won. In State Senate races there were six endorsed candidates, and five were successful. WEA- PACE recommended that four candidates be found acceptable, and two of those candidates won. In races for the State House of Representatives, 25 candidates were endorsed and 18 won. There were 14 candidates found to be acceptable, and 8 of those candidates won. Recommended candidates must fill out a questionnaire and be interviewed. Of the 54 candidates that WEA-PACE made a recommendation on, 27 were Republican and 27 were Democrat. PTSB and SBE decisions affect your daily work life This fall has seen a flurry of activity for the dedicated individuals who serve on governing boards and legislative committees concerned with Wyoming education. Both the Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB) and the State Board of Education (SBE) met in October and considered a bevy of important topics. PTSB approved the final rules adoption to add endorsement standards for "American Sign Language as a Foreign Language." However, adoption of the tests to show Demonstration of Competency was postponed until the January board meeting to allow time for the PTSB staff to gather information in response to various board members' questions. Seven PTSB board members' terms will be expiring on March 1, 2015, plus other positions will open due to changes in the employment status of some current board members (each member represents a specific constituency, so a job move from, say, an elementary principal position to secondary would mean that person no longer fulfills the statutory representation requirements). The process to find replacements is a lengthy one—at least four months; failure to have appointments made in time could jeopardize the work of the PTSB since a quorum would not exist. Thus, the work has already begun to recommend reappointments and replacements. WEA will have a voice in the recommendations for four of the open positions: an elementary teacher, two secondary teachers, and an auxiliary professional services representative. Final selection is made by either the Governor or the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. PTSB and WEA staff made presentations this fall to all UW education seniors regarding professional behavior expectations, building a culture of professionalism, and licensing procedures. After hearing information about the potential benefits of membership in and the valuable work of the Wyoming School-University Partnership, the board voted to have PTSB join for one year. PTSB board members will alternate attendance at the SUP meetings. The board received a report on the new Dual Language Immersion schools operating in the state. This program has already raised some issues regarding certification. Natrona CSD#1 emphasized that it wants to hire highly- qualified teachers who are from the foreign country and can incorporate foreign culture in the learning, not just fluent speakers of the foreign language. This topic will be an ongoing concern as the dual immersion programs continue to proliferate in Wyoming. PTSB staff educated the board on the processes followed for background checks for licensure purposes. If you would like more details, please contact Kathy Scheurman at WEA: kscheurman@wyoea.org. The PTSB board will have its next meeting on January 12 via WEN video. (Continued on p.18) The Joint Education Committee (JEC) met in Jackson on December 10 & 11. The first day's discussion centered around statewide K-12 educational governance and whether the state superintendent of public instruction should be an appointed or an elected position. The committee voted to sponsor a joint resolution to amend the state constitution to no longer have an elected state superintendent of public instruction. If it passes both houses in the legislative session and is signed by the governor, it will go to a vote of the people on the November 2016 general election ballot. The second day, the JEC heard a report on the early childhood education grant program. They also received a report on school safety and security and will be bringing forth a bill to address school safety issues which includes school resource officers. Information was presented on education data security, which included recommendations on the development of security protocols for the collection, access and dissemination of education information. JEC also voted to sponsor legislation creating a distance education task force and another to eliminate the mill levy rebate for recapture districts. They are sponsoring a bill that would authorize reciprocity agreements with other states regarding licensing of post-secondary institutions providing distance education. WEA will be following all of these issues in the upcoming legislative session and will keep you apprised of the bills' progress via the nightly WEA Legislative Update emails. Bills Move Out of JEC to Legislature