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The GFEA Executive Board held interviews for 4 of the 5 candidates for GFPS Board of Trustees Tuesday April 11. The GFEA endorsed candidates are incumbents; Bill Bronson, Kim Skornogoski, and Aime Thompson.
The election will be May 2nd with individuals who have requested receiving absentee ballots voting by mail (ballots are scheduled to be mailed out on April 17th), and those who have not requested an absentee ballot voting at the polls in person on May 2nd. The inperson voting will take place at the Montana ExpoPark 400 3rd Street NW. If you are unsure if you have registered for an absentee ballot you can check by going to https://www.voteinmt.org/check-your-status . You may request an absentee ballot prior to the election, but remember it will take time to receive your ballot and also to ensure it is received by the elections office prior to the May 2nd deadline. Please make your voice heard and vote in the GFPS School Board of Trustees Election May 2nd, 2023. We hope you have received your invitation to the MFPE Spring Meeting (all held vitually on Zoom). GFEA will be hosting a watch party at the GFEA office May 20th at 5:30 PM. Come join the fun and enjoy some snacks with fellow MFPE and GFEA members. Please register for the event and your are welcome to join from home on your personal device, or you can come to the GFEA office 511 13th Ave S. and join the party here! Register at the link below: https://www.mfpe.org/mfpe-events/ The Annual Meeting of MFPE Membership is April 14-15, 2023 at the Delta Hotel in Helena. If you would like to be considered as a delegate for GFEA. Email us and get all the details. Hotel, food, and gas to get there provided!
The week of Feburary 28-March 4, 2023 is designated Montana Organizing and Legislative Blitz and it will take place in several locations around the state including here in Great Falls. Get involved in the events by signing up for a shift or day, or all week, with events culminating in a Block Party on Saturday March 4th (details and location coming soon). There will be lots of activities to get involved in all week and you can even choose the paid option for the day. For more information and/or sign up to get involved click the button below.
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 Get involved in the legislative process even if you are not a member of GFEA or MFPE Join the Protect Montana Team.
After a local team of union members interviewed candidates, MFPE PAC has chosen to endorse the candidates for various offices and positions around the state. GFEA members were part of the team of interviewers who met with candidates and recommended who to endorse for the local state legislative candidates. If you have questions about who to vote for and would like to know who has been endorsed by MFPE PAC please go to the link below for the complete list of endorsements.
Please be sure to register to vote if you have not done so but also be sure to make time to fill out your ballot and send it in if you are voting absentee, or go to the polls and vote in person on November 8th. While there has not been a lot of information about the Safety Levy, there have been some incorrect statements made and considerable confusion about what these funds would be used for in Cascade County.
Please take the time to find out more about this important vote, as public safety is not just the name of the levy, the approval of the levy could impact safety here in Cascade County. Recruitment and Retention of Deputy Sheriff positions and our fellow MFPE member Deputy Cascade County Attorneys account for 75% of the funds generated by the passage of the levy. 14% is allotted to pretrial services, like monitoring inmates in our community and has the potential to not only decrease the jails occupancy while ensuring monitoring (including electronic and alcohol monitoring of individuals awaiting trial) but also increasing the likely hood that they will have their day in court. 11% of the allotment is for Increased school safety and includes one additional SRO (school resource officer) to help cover the 7 Cascade County Rural Schools who are currently served by a single SRO. There are two competing ideas about a small portion of the funds generated by the levy, but what is not at issue is who will make the decision as to how those funds will be spent. The decision as to who or where school safety officers might be placed rest solely in the hands of local school boards and superintendents. The Cascade County Commissioners will be likely be involved in the approval of those funds as well, For more information please access the We Stand Safe Website for additional details and specifics as well as contacts to get your questions answered: Click here for link We Stand Safe Who gets elected matters at all levels and in all races.
Please take time to research the candidates for Cascade county district court judge and make sure to vote. Michelle Levine is a member of MFPE and currently serves as a Cascade County Deputy County Attorney. The Great Falls Tribune 9/16/22 states that : "Grubich and Levine’s battle for judge comes on the heels of an unprecedented situation. Grubich currently holds the bench and has for a little over a year. Levine briefly served as judge prior to that, but the Montana State Senate refused to confirm her in 2021. Levine was appointed by outgoing Gov. Steve Bullock for the judge seat after Greg Pinski left to pursue private practice. After the Senate refused to confirm Levine, current Gov. Greg Gianforte chose Grubich for the job. Grubich said he’s a veteran, a former law enforcement officer and a former small business owner. He and his wife went to law school together, and he said in their spare time, they remodel homes. " The candidates websites contain more information you may want to read: Michelle Levine : https://judgelevine.com/ David Grubich : https://judgegrubich.com/  Teachers deserve our heartfelt appreciation! Their work changes lives for the better. Thank you teachers for all you do each and every day... If you need Information about the School Board Election, information can be found about GFEA's endorsements, Kids' Education YES's description of a school board trustee's role and information about submission of school board election ballots, by just going to Action in the GFEA website's menu bar. |
