Granite School District’s Board of Education values public education and educator input to create the policies, programs, and management of Granite School District. GEA PAC plays a vital role in interviewing and endorsing education friendly candidates for the GSD Board of Education. Having GEA’s president present at all Board meetings allows for instant feedback on behalf of teachers.

• To Be Informed

To effect positive change, teachers must be informed about current District issues. Board meetings provide opportunities to understand policy, listen to GSD Board discussions, and better understand the motivations and perspectives driving decisions. All policies the GSD Board votes on go through a minimum of two readings, at least a month apart. Attending board meetings allows GEA to be informed on all policies the Board is considering and to provide input between the readings.

• To Develop Relationships

Consistently attending monthly Board meetings helps develop relationships and lines of communication with the GSD Board of Education. Having a GEA presence allows the Board members to see that GEA is listening and invested in the discussions that occur as well as the decisions that are made. GEA consistently advocates to Board members for policy that empowers and improves our schools which in turn improves working conditions.

• To Be Heard

Public comment is a designated segment where community members and employees of the district can voice their opinions on District policies, improving District services, or request action from the GSD Board. In November your GEA president gave public comment requesting the GSD Board take action to mitigate teacher burnout and voice the extreme exhaustion many of us are feeling this year. In December, a group of teachers from Cottonwood High spoke during public comment to advocate for virtual Fridays as a solution to ease teacher burnout.Educator perspective should be heard as it validates what is happening in classrooms.  Utilizing the public comment forum helps to share an accurate picture of what is happening in schools.
GEA has the duty to represent teacher voice. Attending monthly GSD Board of Education meetings is one way that GEA consistently works with the District to create a better working environment for educators and a high-quality school experience for our students.
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How to Participate in Public Comment:

1. You must sign up 24 hours in advance by calling the District Communications office at 385-646-4529 or completing the Comment Sign Up Form: https://www.graniteschools.org/board/public-comment/ . Your request must be confirmed before your name will be placed on the list of possible speakers.
2. Begin by thanking the Board for their service. Board members are elected to serve our community and schools. 
3. Be solution oriented. Express your concerns in a professional manner following up with ideas on how to effectively address your concerns. 
4. Prepare and practice your statement as you only have five minutes to speak. 
5. Realize the GSD Board will not be able to further discuss your comments during the meeting. By law, they can only discuss items on the Board’s agenda.

 
GEA is here to support and help you in participating in public comment. Please email or give us a call if you would like more information.

We would like to share an opportunity for you with Granite Education Support Professionals Association (GESPA). 

GEA President, Michele Jones, presented at the November Granite School Board meeting to bring awareness of burnout. 

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

You may run for only one (1) Board position. Board members and officers elected by the general membership qualify as voting delegates at the Representative Assembly (RA)* and as a delegate to 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 Delegate position. Members elected by the general membership 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 to building reps with the elections materials. Please plan to attend the AR meeting on Weds., November 10th and be 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 two vote-getters will have their travel funded.

Granite School District has self-funded health insurance, which means that GSD takes on the cost of benefit claims.  Because our insured members have become wise consumers the District is able to keep the cost of the insurance low by comparison with neighboring school districts.  There are some things about this benefit that catch people by surprise, and GEA wants to make you aware of a couple of exclusions within your GSD health insurance.  These exclusions and more are listed towards the front of your insurance booklet.  It’s a good idea to become familiar with these to understand your benefits
 
First, dependent maternity care is not covered, no matter the age of the dependent.  Federal law stipulates those maternity expenses be covered for employees and spouses which is the law your insurance follows.  When the Affordable Care Act, or ACA was passed, children were allowed to stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26.  Which means some children are pregnant during their time on their parents’ plans, but their maternity costs are not covered by your GSD health insurance. This exclusion has often caught people unaware, and if it had been known, they would have opted for alternate insurance.
 
The second most common exclusion that is not well known is bariatric weight loss surgery.  Not only is this surgery not covered, but any complications also resulting from weight loss surgery will not be covered as well.  Along the same vein, medications and programs for weight loss are also not covered. 
 
One huge plus of Granite’s insurance plans is there is no waiting period for preexisting conditions.  Another perk is the Granite Wellness Center.  Anyone on District insurance has access to the benefits of this facility at no out of pocket cost to them.  Below, please find a list of services, and if you haven’t had a chance to utilize this benefit you can learn more about it here.

​Due to GEA’s relationship with the District, patrons were encouraged to participate virtually in fall SEP conferences.  Since the beginning of the school year, we have been hearing from many of you via email, phone calls, and social media messages with concerns regarding face-to-face meetings, but especially SEP conferences.  GEA heard you loud and clear, and worked with the District via various communication methods to strongly encourage virtual conferences.  Following member Lynda Davis’ comments during a teacher town hall regarding this very issue, a District letter was sent to families encouraging virtual attendance at SEP conferences.  We heard from Lynda via email stating, “Thanks for being there to support all the teachers and students in Granite School District. It wonderful to know that we have you to advocate for us.  I am beaming right now. After 28 years of being a GSD teacher, I finally felt heard!”

​Have you ever wondered whether you should call GEA and ask for help? Your membership allows you to do so, and we are here for you to help you navigate different types of situations.  For example, many years ago, a teacher was hired in Granite School District.  After school had been in session for a bit, she looked at her paystub and realized she was being paid hourly instead of on the salary schedule.  Thank goodness she was a GEA member and called the office!  Once GEA heard what happened we were able to work with Human Resources (HR) to get her pay straightened out.  She received the back pay that was due to her, and the District made her financially whole with URS.

Fast forward to summer 2021, and this same teacher met with HR to go over her retirement benefits.  She was surprised to learn that .21 years of service was missing in URS from her first year of teaching.  Even though she had worked her entire first year and was paid for it, she was told that she would either need to work the extra time or buy out that portion of the missing year. She made another call to GEA.
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Following the call, GEA asked HR to check their records for this teacher’s misfiled paperwork from her first year of employment.  It took a lot of digging around, but we are happy to let you know that HR found the documentation that indicated the teacher had indeed worked a full year her first year. HR was able to then contact URS and approve the full benefits the teacher is entitled to.  We are so glad this member allowed us to advocate for her and to help navigate this situation!