Several weeks ago the membership of the GFCCE voted overwhelmingly to set up a political action committee (henceforth known as Galt Committee on Political Education or GCOPE) to assist in recruiting, endorsing and fundraising for candidates for our local School Board elections. The GCOPE needs your help. The current siege against public education from the state, demonstrated by the legislature’s under-funding of education, indicates that we need each other, especially during these difficult economic times. Additionally, the recent federal “Race to the Top” initiative and its mandate to reform education stresses the importance of having education allies on the School Board. This is why we will be actively recruiting individuals to run for School Board who are supportive of our voices as educators. The next School Board election is this November and there are three seats available. We must act now to begin the process of setting up our GCOPE for the fall election season.
The first step is to staff GCOPE with five of our fellow members. One member will be our current union treasurer, Doug Ward, who will also act as our COPE treasurer; two members will be selected by the Executive Board; and two members will be elected by the membership at large. We plan on having our election for the two at large GCOPE seats before the end of the school year.
Secondly, we are asking that members start contributing to the GCOPE account. All contributions are voluntary, but the more money we raise the more impact we will be able to have on the make-up of our next School Board. Here are the two steps you will need to do to become a member of our GCOPE:
1) Submit to Doug Ward (or any union officer) a $10 “buy-in” check made out to GCOPE. Please remember that the “buy-in” amount will increase after June 1.
2) Submit a voluntary payroll deduction form to Debbie Seibel (or any union officer). Please consider at least a $5 monthly deduction. Forms are available from anyone in union leadership.
Taking these two steps makes you eligible for all future GCOPE functions, including running for the open GCOPE committee positions and participating in the endorsement interviews this fall.
The endorsement process will take place in August and you will receive more details on that after summer break. The goal of the GCOPE is to find candidates who value quality education for all students at the three school sites in our district, understand the challenges educators face today, and to stand up for students, teachers and support staff in these difficult times. We invite you to participate in this process by starting your voluntary deductions today.
Please let us know if you have any questions,
Alex Bauer Matt Sperisen
President, GFCCE GCOPE, Chair