Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/74799
Champions of Public Education Markell and Denn get thumbs up T he DSEA Exec. Board, fol- lowing recommendations from member interview com- mittees, has recommended that DSEA members vote to re-elect Gov. Jack Markell and Lt. Gov. Matt Denn this fall. On balance, the Board felt that Gov. Markell has worked closely and collaboratively with DSEA leaders on significant issues, including pension and health care; the new DPASII- Revised evaluation system; and sup- ported the General Assembly's desire to raise ESP salaries signifi- cantly by putting substantial increases in his proposed budget. Following the national mid-term elections of 2010, when many gover- nors and state legislators stripped public employees of their collective bargaining rights, attacked their fringe benefits and cut education spending, Markell went on national TV criticizing these moves, noting that collective bargaining helps employees have a voice in their work and they, after all, are the experts, the people we should be lis- tening to. Lt. Gov. Matt Denn has kept his campaign promises of focusing on improving educa- tion for our youngest, and exploring how to improve parental involvement. Markell He hosted a suc- cessful Conference with DSEA on Parental Involvement which show- cased several schools that have found unconventional ways to suc- cessfully break down those invisi- ble barriers that keep some families away from school. He also has created a new award, Denn the Excellence in Parental Involvement Award, to turn up the volume on this important issue. He finds time to mentor a stu- dent, and encourages others to do so, including successfully engaging employees at several businesses to 6 July 2012 DSEA ACTION! mentor entire schools. He was a driver in Delaware's successful Early Childhood Race to the Top Grant, and worked with us to define areas of need. As Lt. Governor he chairs the Interagency Council on Adult Literacy (ICAL) which seeks to improve our state's ability to pro- vide services for all adults so that they have the reading and language skills to be responsible family mem- bers, workers, community members and lifelong learners. As ACTION! was going to press, a member-committee had just inter- viewed the candidates for Insurance Commissioner. Next? Recommendations for state senators and rep- resentatives This election year is as busy as they get, with the entire General Assembly, Governor, Lt. Governor, Insurance Commissioner, U.S. Senator and Representative, and the President up for election. For Delaware's 62 General Assembly races, interview commit- tees, made up of members in the locals where the Senate and House districts are located, are now being formed. We are looking for volunteers interested in serving on a commit- tee to read candidate answers to our questions; and then to follow up together with a meeting with those candidates. Each committee then makes a recommendation to their locals which in turn make a recom- mendation to the DSEA Executive Board. Interested?Contact your local association president or PAL, Political Action Leader; or feel free to contact Brissia Perez, DSEA's ' ' Key Dates September 11 November 6 Primary Elections General Elections Can we count on you for a few hours? By volunteering just an hour or two to support pro-public education candidates, you help to elect people who will support the education and employment issues you care about. New logo item for volunteers - long-sleeved t-shirt. Sign me up! I'm willing to volunteer________________ of my time. (Example: 3 hours, 2 weekends, 1 day) I'd be interested in: Calling our members Calling voters on Election Day Literature drops in neighborhoods Canvassing (door-knocking) in neighborhoods Working at the polls on Election Day Name:_____________________________________________ Local Association: ___________________________________________________ Phone number:__________________________________________ Home e-mail address:__________________________________________ Return to your local association rep, officer or political action chair. www.dsea.org