Small Group Break Out Discussions-

Post by David Aaby

On Friday morning, 120 tables were set up around the convention center. All the delegates were randomly assigned to these tables to have small group break out discussions to get delegate/member feedback on issues facing education.

Here is a summary of the discussion at my table group.

1. What current public education issues do you feel most engage our members?
Issues that were brought up at my table were:
Lack of funding
Reduction in force
Unfunded mandates
Suspension of the SAM
Healthcare- rising cost and purposed state takeover.


2. Given the current environment of attacks on teachers and other school employees and on public schools in general, what steps do you think WEA members are willing to take to create positive change?

My group talked about needed to do something that would show our communities and the state as a whole that the cuts have an effect on them…. The words “Shock and Awe” were used. Talk of “working to the contract” a statewide walk out, and more member involvement in lobbying efforts of elected officials

3. What power do you believe we have individually, at the local, council and state levels, and how do you think we should use that power to create the change that we want for our students, ourselves and for our schools?
Some of the ideas that were discussed were that we need to have well planned, thought out WEA events that will get our message out to our elected officials and communities. We need to do a better job of training local leaders. We need to hold our elected officials accountable.

I don’t know what WEA plans to do with the notes from these 120 separate table group discussions. Hopefully they will take what we had to say and use it to guide the agenda for the future....

How would you answer the three questions they gave us this morning?