The GFPS Clerical staff has been in negotiations since June and has moved to mediation to try to negotiate a contract as theirs has expired as of June 2023. Let's support those who help us by wearing black on Wednesdays and We need our clerical buttons everyday. Please watch this space for other opportunities to get involved as they continue concerted efforts to receive a reasonable pay structure and wage that is not only livable, but comparable to other staff around the city and state. We need them to do our jobs!
The Montana legislature is in session for 90 days every 2 years and there are important issues being decided at the Capitol in Helena. If you are a member of GFEA and/or MFPE you can join the Rapid Response Team to find out important legislation that is being discussed and decided that may effect your life and work. The Rapid Response Team is composed of union members around the state who are dedicated to ensuring our representatives hear how we as Montanans would like them to vote on the issues and represent our interests. If you would like to get involved and/or would like to hear what legislation is being discussed and how it could effect public employees and those of us who work in schools go to this web page and sign up for updates and invitations to get involved. Click here
The Great Falls Education Association has endorsed the following four 2022 School Board candidates: Three-year term: One -year term: Mark Finnicum Russell Herring Gordon Johnson Nathan Reiff For information regarding ballots and voting protocol, call Brian Patrick at 406-268-6050.
Ballots may be returned at the Elections Office at the Courthouse Annex at 325 2nd Avenue North on Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. before Election Day. On Election Day, ballots can be dropped off at the Exhibition Hall at the Montana Expo Park, 400 3rd St. NW or/and Courthouse Annex from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. The GFEA Executive Board will interview School Board candidates on March 31 and April 4, 2022. The final endorsements will post on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Please check back. Montana School Elections Calendar Ballots will be mailed on April 13-18, 2022. Ballots can be returned by mail or in person to the Cascade County Election Office located at 325 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401. If sent by mail, please allow enough time for delivery prior to the May 3, 2022 deadline. On behalf of the students and staff of Great Falls Public Schools and our Board of Trustees, we hope you will study the candidates and cast your ballot by May 3. If you should have questions on the ballot, please contact the Cascade County Elections Department. Trustee Election The following four seats are up for election:
Position Description:
For more information, call Brian Patrick at 406-268-6050.
Ballots may be dropped off at Elections Office at the Courthouse Annex at 325 2nd Avenue North on Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. before Election Day. On Election Day, ballots can be dropped off at the Exhibition Hall at the Montana Expo Park, 400 3rd St. NW or/and Courthouse Annex from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Board of Regents vote to litigate HB 10205.14.21
The Board of Regents voted UNANIMOUSLY to litigate HB 102 (guns on campus) on the question of constitutional authority early on the morning of May 19, 2021. Each regent cited the overwhelming public comment in favor of litigation, including handwritten notes. They were referring to the advocacy efforts by MFPE and its partners. Soon, educators, students and Montanans will know who truly is responsible for student and staff safety on college campuses across Montana. Please use this link to thank the Regents for their courageous vote. from Amanda Curtis, MFPE president There are always shenanigans in the last few days of any session. This is when legislators start amending otherwise fine bills with any bad idea that didn't pass on its own. HB 651 is one example. It received some terrible amendments before passing out of Senate State Admin committee. It will be voted on second reading in the Senate TODAY AT 1 p.m. The bill limits our democracy by adding all kinds of unnecessary red tape to our current ballot initiative process. There's no reason for this--our current ballot initiative process works great. In fact, this union and our partners successfully used the ballot initiative process to pass Montana's graduated minimum wage law in 2006! Have you called your Senator lately? Many thanks to all of you are in order, but first we have one last hill to climb. Yesterday, HB 588 (reclassifying public employees to political appointees) DIED 20-30 in the SENATE! SB 232 (highway patrol compensation) PASSED 94-4 on second reading in the House! However, HB 279 will be voted on in Senate Finance any day. The stress level is turned up to "eleven" in the Capitol right now as legislators suffer retaliation from the Governor's office and their own caucus and/or see their favorite bills die. Everyone is tired and homesick and wants to just be done. Before they go home, they will decide the fate of HB 279. HB 279 creates a private school voucher system (a policy that Montanans oppose).HB 279 raises the allowable tax credit for donations to private and for-profit schools from $150 to $200,000 (a 133,333% increase). Corporations are also entitled to the tax credit. HB 279 reduces our general fund, thereby reducing the funds available for not just our public schools but all public works such as public roads, public water systems and public safety to name only a few. HB 279's fiscal note shows it will cost the state millions over the next four years--money that should be used to fund public education. Worse, the bill will likely cost Montana a dollar-for-dollar cut to our ARP funding--money we should use to recover from the pandemic and build critical infrastructure. HB 279 will force schools to choose between raising local property taxes and cutting programs (Fixed costs don't go down when a handful of students leave for private schools.) Two-thirds (2/3) of private schools are in the seven (7) largest counties. The consequence of this is that this tax credit bill leaves rural students out. Equalizing the public/private sides of this bill won't fix it--Montanans can already donate to public schools for tax benefit, and they will never do so at a level commensurate with private school funders. HB 279 allows the Governor and "his rich buddies" to fund their personal private school pet projects (like the Petra Academy) and forsake their duty to pay for the roads, bridges and public schools that we ALL use. If you haven't called your Senator lately, please do so as soon as possible. Bad news: HB 588, to allow the Governor to appoint up to 10 percent of all public employees, passed out of committee on Monday and is likely up for a vote in the full Senate tomorrow.
Scary news: We are expecting the supporters of HB 329 (public funds to private schools) to "blast" the bill out of committee today or tomorrow in the full Senate. Good news: There may be enough common sense in this Senate to stop both of them. The following contains the links to the one-pagers on privatization and power grabs. Use this online form, call the Capitol Switchboard at 444-4800, or use the personal email addresses and phone numbers. Remember, texts work well, too! Have you called your local Senator lately? It might be time to check in with each of them. More about HB 588:
HB 279 passed out of the House and is being heard in the House Appropriations committee RIGHT NOW. The Governor's office is here in support of the bill. Under current law, Montanans can receive up to $150 of their MT tax obligation forgiven for contributions to Student Scholarship Organizations (SSO's). SSO's fund tuition to private (primarily religious) K-12 schools. SB 279 increases the allowable tax credit to $200,000, costing the state nearly $25 million in revenue over the next two biennia. You can find the fiscal note here. HB 279's fiscal note shows it will cost the state $25 million over the next four years--money that should be used to fund public education. HB 279 will force schools to choose between raising local property taxes and cutting programs (fixed costs don't go down when a handful of students leave for private schools). Two-thirds of private schools are in the seven (7) largest counties, so this tax credit bill leaves rural students out. HB 279 creates a private school voucher system (a policy that Montanans oppose). HB 279 raises the allowable tax credit for donations to private and for-profit schools from $150 to $200,000 (a 133,333% increase). Corporations are also entitled to the tax credit. HB 279 reduces our general fund, thereby reducing the funds available for not just our public schools but all public works such as public roads, and public water systems, and public safety to name a few. Here is the MFPE one-pager on all of the school privatization bills. Have you called your Representative yet? |
Here's the invite to our postcard party.
Montana Voter Registration |