Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Want to Be

Lori Sherman and Bryan Sanguinito

The Reading Education Association Community Committee originated with PSEA UniServ Tom Hofherr, PSEA Community Organizer Lorenzo Canizares, and REA President Dan Grim. Met with other REA leaders to discuss their vision of

reaching out to the community . Lorenzo Canizares was vital because he could speak

the language of key people in the community It was important to get all the key members of

the community to come together for a common cause. The need existed for different Hispanic groups –

Dominicans, Mexicans, etc. – to work together.

REA was able to provide food during the meetings through a grant from PSEA. It is important to feed people.

For REA to make its presence known, we had to get the community involved to get people elected to the board who understood our cause. We were able to get two people from the committee to run for school board and they were successfully elected. Now we had two people who were favorable to our issues on the board.

When issues arose about teachers and school, we were able to act as the buffer between the administration and the teachers.

The original push to start Charter Schools was squelched because we able inform the members about our feelings, and because of our relationship, committee members chose to pressure the school board not to pursue it. REACC became the group that parents went to when

issues arose in our schools. REACC held meetings about Special Education Issues

and No Child Left Behind and how they impacted our schools. A local Reverend offered his church to hold these

meetings. It was a social and formal meeting situation.

PSEA’s Leslie Collins and Bernie Miller talked about Special Education Issues. Parents learned their rights so they could better represent their children. REA was educating the children AND parents of the city!

Lorenzo and Dan spoke publicly at Reading Area Community College and other social networking events to show their presence and to make our issues known. They went to various dinners where the proceeds went

to Latino students who were furthering their education.

REA found out that the parents did not know what resources were available to them in the community. We worked on making packets to explain what resources were out there. Those packets gave information to help the parents in learning what community services were out there. These packets had the REA logo on them to get our

name out.

Now, more than ever, with the current attacks on public education and teachers, it is critically important to build and maintain positive community relationships.

Thus, our Community Committee needed to expand its focus on involving parents and other educational and community leaders

“We’re not where we want to be, and we’re not where we ought to be, but at least we’re not where we used to be!”

Lou Holtz, former football coach, University of South Carolina

The first key to successfully mobilizing parents and community members is to realize that this process is a marathon, not a sprint!

In Reading, parental involvement has been traditionally low due to: Over 100% transiency rate Little time to invest in students’ education Difficulties in home life Not understanding the language Not knowing how to get involved Lack of coordination between district and

REA

We must establish noble goals which are honorable and worthy of community support Refocus all of our efforts on student success Connect teacher well-being with student welfare▪ When we advocate for smaller class sizes for us, we

advocate for more individualized student instruction ▪ When we advocate for healthy teaching environments,

we advocate for better learning environments▪ Bargaining fair contracts leads to what is best for

education in general, not just educators

Correlate student success to community success More parental involvement = less truancy = better

education = more graduates = more jobs = less poverty Less opportunity for gang involvement or crime Keeps kids off the streets, away from drugs, out of jail Developing potential community leaders who will try to

improve conditions in the city Instills an early respect for the welfare of the city,

especially considering the New York Times report on our poverty ranking *

* (denotes that handout is included regarding more information)

Shows we are a vital part of the community Support for our bargaining issues Support for our endorsed board candidates Helps maintain high quality education

Parents will support budget-targeted programs like Art, Music, and Family & Consumer Science

Lets us build relationships with stakeholders Builds public respect for our profession Allows us to build our database for PPE

Will allow us to communicate political concerns

Our Education Association must become a visible, viable, and vital part of our community

Our Education Association must define itself lest we allow others to define us

Our Education Association can no longer afford to remain an isolated, well-kept secret

If we want the community to support us, we must support our community

Community / Association Newsletters *▪ Distribute at PTA meetings▪ Distribute in local mom-and-pop shops▪ Have them translated, if possible▪ Also share with local officers, reps, and members

Press Releases (can be the same as your newsletter)*

Letters to the Editor *▪ Be proactive whenever possible

Interviews with Local Media Outlets *▪ Build early professional relationships as much as

possible▪ Invite reporters to Community Outreach meetings *

Branding ▪ Recognizable logo which states your mission▪ Include on all communications▪ Business cards▪ Letterheads

Website; Facebook; other Social Media▪ www.WeAreREA.com

Community Service Projects ▪ Food Drive; Blood Drive; Gift Wrapping

Develop/Expand Role of Outreach Program

Parent Involvement – PTAs Partners in Public Education Initiative Community / Association Newsletters Gang Prevention Initiative Special Education Initiative School Board Candidates: Recruit/Endorse Mentoring Programs / Rotary Club Recycling and Planning Commission Education Summits: Youth / Hispanic /

Others

Get Superintendent Buy-in Work with district to see what already exists Meet with PA-PTA Region Vice-Presidents Meet with leaders of existing parent groups Bring all parties to the table - literally Set achievable timelines Promote your collaborative efforts

NEA Priority Schools Best Practices * PSEA Solutions That Work *

Student Funding Cuts Less Resources Available for Students No Field Trips Loss of co-curricular / extra-curricular

programs Political Attacks on Public Education Support for Teaching Profession Education’s Role in Overcoming Poverty Broken Buildings

Excessive Temperatures Raining Inside

Once we have established active and effective PTAs, we can finally expand our search for more PPEs Creating huge numbers within our ranks

for PSEA Partners in Public Education will be the only way we will be able to save our profession

Four Endorsed Board Members Elected Parent Groups in Every School by Nov. 30th

National Spotlight on Broken Buildings Meetings with State Senator /

Representative Signing up Community Members for PPE Working with Community Organizers to

Identify Additional Stakeholders Strong Relationship between SD and EA

leaders

Promoting PPE Get parents signed up at school

functions / conferencesWorking with Local Labor Council to

identify More Community Leaders Potential PPEs

Monitoring Progress of PTAs Providing the “T”

Looking to further Publicize our Efforts Redefining Success Video Campaign▪ “Don’t tell me my students are failures”

Working with the Local Charter School Continuing to Organize Reading YES! Hoping to Present at PA Progressive

Summit Reaching out to Businesses, Clergy, etc.

Chamber of Commerce Planning Commission

We project such a positive message, become so ubiquitous and well-recognized, and get so many parents and community members to become PPEs, our Association leaders will become universally respected as the experts on what is best for our schools and students

Once we convince parents and community members that educational success is a shared responsibility which will benefit our society, lawmakers will have no choice but to listen to the voices of the many speaking as one

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Lori Sherman - REAESVPWest@yahoo.com

Bryan Sanguinito - REAPresident@yahoo.com