​As a member of GEA, you have an opportunity to be actively involved and be a voice for teachers and our Association. The Granite Education Association announces elections and encourages all interested members to run for office.

You may run for only one (1) Board position. Board members and officers elected by the general membership qualify as voting delegates at the NEA Representative Assembly* and the UEA House of Delegates.

If you are interested in being involved, but not on the Board of Directors, you can run for the Representative Assembly (RA) Delegate position. Members elected by the general member-ship to attend the RA qualify as voting delegates to the RA, the governing body of NEA. Elected delegates travel to the RA during the summer to make policy for the NEA.*

We will email your statement and picture (see below) to building reps with the elections materials. Please plan to attend the AR meeting on Weds., November 11th (virtually), prepared to make a short campaign speech.

*GEA board members’ travel to the RA is funded in the middle year of their term of office. Among members elected as delegates to the NEA RA, the top three vote-getters will have their travel funded.

If you or someone you know is experiencing stress, anxiety or depression because of COVID-19, talk to a crisis counselor seven days a week, 7a-7p. All information is confidential and free of charge.

Services include:

• Emotional support
• Crisis counseling
• Coping strategies
• Mental health education
• Referrals if more help is needed

Call/Text: 385-386-2289
Email (first name and phone number only): UtahStrong@utah.gov
For immediate response after hours:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Counseling in Spanish and other languages available.

Operated by the Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health through a FEMA grant, facilitated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

​Be Your Own Best Advocate

This is the time in an educator’s contract year when principals begin notifying them about observation scheduling. The question GEA is now receiving from members is “Why?! On top of everything else – why go through the observation/evaluation process?”

Educators are doing the very best they can just to keep their heads above water. Some days, it’s all you can do to get out of bed and off to work. Stress, anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion rule the day. Principals are not exempt from these same feelings and concerns, and they, by law and school policy, are required to observe and evaluate educators each year.

GEA has had ongoing conversations with the Granite School District Assistant Superintendents regarding observations and evaluations and expectations of teachers during the time of Covid-19.  Teaching strategies and lesson plans have changed to social distance for safety.  Administrators have been counseled to not expect to see what they would in a “normal” school year.  We have been assured that this fact has been discussed with principals and leniency in instructional strategies such as proximity, small group instruction, changes in lesson design, hands on activities, etc. will be considered.

If you are a provisional teacher or are in the ‘summative’ year of your evaluation cycle, your observation will become part of an evaluation score.  The time for you to make an appeal on an observation and/or evaluation score is BEFORE you sign and finalize the document. You are your own best advocate when it comes to a fair observation, and timing is everything. Your principal should email you a draft of your observation and schedule a debrief meeting with you to review the scores, sign, and finalize. When you receive this draft, review carefully with objectivity. If you note scores on some standards that are lower than normal due to the impact Covid-19 realities have on your classroom, now is the time to gather evidence to the fact that you have had to limit your teaching strategies and why. Once you have gathered the evidence you need, schedule to meet with your principal, present the evidence and work together to modify the scores appropriately.

If you need help with this process, call GEA and we will review the observation report with you and advocate on your behalf. 

Opinion posted in today’s Salt Lake Tribune written be GEA leader, Tayler Khater. Tayler teaches Social Studies to students enrolled at Skyline High School.  He has been a GEA building representative for several years and volunteers time to teach and live a life that is politically active and socially conscientious.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the “Next Greatest Generation”.