President's Corner

Hello, OGEA Members! 

Welcome Back! Hope you were able to recharge, sleep in, rest, and play on our February Break.

As we set back into our routines, whether it is teaching, planning, counseling, partaking in meetings, hold onto the thought that we are making a difference in students’ lives. As a constant in their everyday lives, we help sustain the foundation and stability that is public education here in Oak Grove. 

WE affect lives in all that we do. 

WE are CHANGE AGENTS for our students.

Think about a teacher or other trusted adult who made a positive impact in your life when you were young. What did they say? What did they do? Were they kind? Did they give you tough love? Did they hold you accountable in a way that made you want to be better? How did that feel? 

Looking forward, there are other ways we are being effective in supporting positive change: 

Community Schools

Community schools are the great equalizer in that it shifts the power of decision-making to educators, parents, students, staff, and admin. It is a horizontal model rather than what we have now, which is top-down. 

Our Community Schools team, Virginia Beaulieu, and Luis Velasquez, and myself will be meeting again with Superintendent Manzo and Assistant Superintendent Boles to go over what our collaborative organization and outreach will look like and with which school communities. 

ACTIONS:

• September 20,2023: OGEA Executive Board and Rep Council Passed Resolution Read the resolution Here.
• February 5, 2024: OGEA Community Schools Team Met with Supt. Manzo and ESD Asst. Supt. Boles 

Our next meeting will be to go over a preliminary timeline. The next time we can apply for the Implementation Grant will be Fall 2024.

Special Education

The Special Ed Taskforce is meeting every month. We need all voices in that room to speak to and advocate for the needed changes to the system and processes. It is open to Certificated, classified, parents, and admin. 

The next SpEd Taskforce meeting is scheduled for MARCH 19, 3:30-4:30 in the OGSD Boardroom.

GREEN

Are you wearing GREEN to show our solidarity as a UNION, as FORCE, as a UNITED FRONT in Oak Grove? Every Wednesday is GROW our presence day, SOLIDARITY DAY, WEAR GREEN Day. Site Reps are counting and we are tracking participation. This is in preparation for our Negotiations Season. 

(Does not have to be your OGEA Shirt)