Wyoming Education Association Announces Election of New Leaders

Cheyenne – The Wyoming Education Association (WEA) announces the results of its election of officers for the 2006-2008 term.

Elected as WEA President was Kathryn Valido, a teacher from Laramie County School District #1 who has been active in the local, state, and national levels of the education association for a number of years.  She will take office as WEA President on July 15, 2006, and will serve a two-year term.

Re-elected as WEA Vice-President was Craig Williams, an elementary teacher from Laramie County School District #2. 

When informed of her election win, Valido said, “I'm flattered to have been elected by my peers to lead our association, and I'm eager to get to work, continuing WEA's effort to build a Wyoming learning community which will provide a high quality education for all." 

As president of the Wyoming Education Association, Valido will represent the nearly 6,000 members who work in pre-kindergarten through higher education positions throughout the state of Wyoming.  Members include certified teachers, education support professionals, higher education employees, administrators, students preparing to enter the teaching profession, and retired members.

Valido has taught 6^th grade in Cheyenne for 27 years, most recently at Afflerbach Elementary School.  She has been the NEA Director for WEA for six years.  Valido was a member of the Professional Teaching Standards Board for six years, including a term as chairperson.

# # #

 Tuesday, May 9, 2006, is National Teacher Day.  Thank a teacher for making public schools great!

Teachers in Wyoming and in states and communities across the nation will be in the spotlight on Tuesday, May 9, as students, parents, school administrators and the general public learn how teachers are making Great Public Schools for every child.

"Few other professionals impact as many people as do teachers," said Gary McDowell, president of the Wyoming Education Association (WEA). "National Teacher Day is a good time to learn about the contributions educators make to our community every day. Teachers are role models, and that brings both satisfaction and responsibility. We want to take it to the next step.

“We believe we all have to work together to make our schools even better,” continued McDowell. “That means everyone in the community: parents, business owners, other workers, retirees, local and state government, and, yes, students. Public schools are at the heart of any community. When there are problems, we address them. When there are successes, we share them.

“Community involvement brings learning to life,” the WEA president said. “This is an opportunity for all of us to reach out to each other. I ask the community to learn about how we advocate for high standards for students, fair and meaningful evaluations of their work, and resources that go directly to the classroom. A community’s active support of the work we mutually do to teach and care for the community’s students is vital to a quality education system.”

Visit www.nea.org and www.nea.org/teacherday to learn more about the issues educators are facing as they do their work and meet the requirements of many laws and regulations.

The Wyoming Education Association is a professional employee organization and is committed to advancing the cause of public education. The nearly 6,000 members in Wyoming work at every level of education, from kindergarten through college.

###