Hi All, here is a video-memo from your President, Dominic Rizzi.
Also, Mary Noel is looking for precinct walkers on Saturday 10/29 at 10am meeting at the Edenvale Community Center next to Davis Intermediate. Please contact me if you'd like to assist with Mary's campaign president@ogea.org
Video Transcript:
As educators, we all have one thing in common at our core, the desire to improve the lives and futures of our students. We do this in a variety of ways depending on our role in the public education system. Something else I’ve noticed we’ve been sharing lately is feeling overwhelmed. I feel it is important to acknowledge and embrace this as a means to identify solutions. At the surface, the fall season is a long one for teachers, students and parents. Adding on top of that the shortage of subs, bargaining activities, organizing activities, curriculum struggles, our elections, and transitions within our public education system all add a dash of stress into our daily recipe.
A common solution to the emotions we are feeling, to getting the resources we need to be successful, and for our ability to do something about it ...all point to our school board race. The educators that I have had the honor of meeting this year have inspired me to take my role as President seriously. In my experience in leadership, I know a few things to be constant: to do what is best for the most, that nothing gets done without being selfless, and to communicate openly and honestly while being solution oriented.
A solution we have available to us is to volunteer. I need you to help volunteer for one of the most important local election campaigns our district has seen in YEARS. If you’ve ever felt frustrated that your needs were not being met, volunteer. If you’ve ever felt let down or slighted by the district, volunteer. If you’ve ever wanted more from your district to help you be the educator you want to be, volunteer.
I have been moved to tears after some site visits because, “I just can’t be the teacher I want to be anymore…” or “I need help, I don’t know how much longer I can do this job…” or “It is just not the same anymore... “ or “It is not supposed to be this hard…” These are phrases that I have heard from our educators in the last 3 weeks.
Having the opportunity to get John Mackey, a teacher with 25 years experience, elected into our school board will be one piece of the puzzle that will bring upon the change our district needs. Our school board has been static for many years. There are good people with good intentions on the board that could benefit from one of the best hearts and minds I know...John Mackey.
If you haven’t met John yet, he is the most genuine, brutally honest, compassionate, and student centered individual I have met. John Mackey is for the greater good, selfless, and can communicate openly and honestly while being solution oriented. John is the leader that we need, now. John told me the other night, “I know our district has many problems, and I want to be there to find the solution.”
If you’ve read this much, it shows you have an interest in learning how you can help. You showed up in droves when we didn’t have a contract. You put yourself out in front of school to distribute flyers, you wore black everyday that we bargained. Those things helped us to help our students for now. But we need you to help us help our students for the next four years by volunteering to help elect John Mackey to school board. There is a link attached with this video where you can see and sign up for some of the activities. Click the link below to sign up for our last few events before the election. It would mean a lot to me, your fellow teachers, and to John Mackey for the future of our district. Thank you, have a great rest of your day.