ACEA MAKES CANDIDATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 2018 ALLEGANY COUNTY PRIMARY

The 2018 Maryland Primary Election will soon be here.  Early voting starts June 14th and runs until June 21st.  Any registered voter can vote early at the Allegany County Government Building on Kelly Drive in Cumberland from 10am to 8pm during that time.  The regular primary election date is Jun 26th. 
 
As part of the 2018 election cycle, ACEA has chosen to recommend candidates to our members and the general public.  As a result, ACEA leadership formed a Candidate Recommendation Committee, sent candidate questionnaires to all of the candidates who had filed to run for County Commission or Board of Education and actively attempted to engage those candidates in our recommendation process through personal contact, phone calls and emails. The members of the Recommendation Committee also met with and interviewed all of the candidates that submitted questionnaires. 
 
The committee was comprised of broad range of ACEA members.  The committee thoroughly reviewed the questionnaires and was diligent in its consideration of the interviews.  Both the blank questionnaires and interview questions can be found on this website in the Important Documents section. The questionnaires and interview questions were based on templates designed by MSEA and modified to address some local issues. The committee members were: John Reuschlein (ACEA President), Kim Sloane (Allegany High), Amy Duncan (Westmar Middle), Peggy Bass (Mt. Savage), Justin Jones (Cresaptown), Tracey Lehr (Northeast), Barb Kennedy (Speech Pathologist) and Jason Huber (Central Office).  ACEA UniServ Director Evan West served as facilitator.
 
Two candidates told us directly that they were not interested in participating in our process.  They were Creade Brodie and Wayne Foote.  Any candidate that either chose not to participate or did not respond to our questionnaire is not eligible for a recommendation.  Only candidates that participated in our process can receive a recommendation.  Additionally, any candidate that did participate in the process that did not receive a recommendation for the primary is still eligible for a recommendation given that their name is on the ballot for the general election.   
 
After careful consideration the committee is recommending the following candidates for the 2018 Primary Election:
 
County Commissioner:
 
-Stu Czapski
 
Board of Education
 
-Rayelle Davis
-Deb Frank
-Nick Hadley
-Carmen Jackson
 
The recommendation process was a difficult one for the committee given that  each candidate was strong in her or her own way and would bring certain positive qualities to the position if elected.  Those recommended stood out for their obvious and deep commitment to the value of public education to the community and for their respect for the expertise and professionalism of our members.
 
The committee would like to express deep appreciation to all the candidates who participated in the process for their time and commitment to public service.  

​News From MSEA

Happy Educator Appreciation Week 2018!

ACEA members packed fruit baskets for all schools and work sites, we appreciate all that you do for the students of Allegany County!

​Second ACEA Unit 4 Roundtable- January 11th- 4:30 @ the ACEA Office

ACEA will host its second Unit 4 Roundtable. The purpose of this meeting is to provide a forum for Unit 4 members to bring concerns and discuss solutions.  You can click the link below to review the summary of our previous meeting.  

10/5/17 Unit 4 Roundtable Summary

ACEA Members Rallied to Fix the Fund!

​Know Your Rights!!!
The following are your Weingarten Rights:

If you are accused of child abuse, assault, or any other criminal charge:

1. Don't talk to anyone about the case.  Tell the principal, parent, police officer, or social services worker that you will be happy to answer questions as soon as you have an attorney present.  They must respect your right to have an attorney present during the questioning- even if it means postponing the meeting.
2. Call ACEA at 301-729-8280 immediately.  Advise the person who answers that you are being accused of a crime and need an attorney.  If for any reason you are unable to reach someone at the ACEA office, call headquarters in Annapolis at 1-800-448-6782 and ask to speak to an attorney.
3. If you are unable to reach the Uniserv Director at ACEA or an MSEA attorney, advise the principal, administrator, or officer that the questioning will have to be rescheduled when you have an attorney present and that you will advise them as soon as you have arranged for representation.  They can contact your attorney by contacting MSEA.
4. Do not allow yourself to be manipulated into discussing the case without legal counsel.  The vast majority of complaints are false, but your response can easily be twisted or misconstrued.  Promises like "just answer a few questions and we can close the book and go home" or insinuations like "you wouldn't mind talking to us if you were "not guilty"" are designed to help the investigators and the accusers, not you.  Expedience is never a good reason to sacrifice your legal rights.

If you are accused by your supervisor of misconduct, incompetence, insubordination, or impropriety:

1. Advise the supervisor that the charge is one for which you could be reprimanded or suffer other disciplinary action and that you have a right to have a representative attend any meetings held to discuss the charge.
2. Contact your building ACEA rep or call the ACEA office at 301-729-8280.  The building rep can accompany you to the meeting or we can arrange other representation as the situation requires.
3. If you are unable to reach the ACEA office, advise your supervisor that you wish to postpone the meeting until you can have a representative present.  If the supervisor insists that the meeting proceed, you must attend in order not to be insubordinate.  But, don't discuss the charge.  Your best bet is to repeat, "I'll be happy to respond to that when I have a representative present."

​ACEA HOLDS FIRST EVER EDUCATOR COMMUNITY FORUM

Members of the community and educators came together to discuss all thing public education from testing to funding to block scheduling. The work of the Kirwan Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Education was a major topic of discussion. Our panel of community and educator experts provided  feedback to attendees and healthy conversation started around why public education matters to us and how we can get our schools and educators what they need to provide the best possible education for our students.  

​ACEA Office Facelift
Many thanks to the volunteers who worked hard to give our sign and office a facelift, the final product looks amazing!