The library bill. School vouchers. Guns in schools. Family poverty. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Attempts to strip bargaining rights. These are only a few of the issues that this union and our allies defended against last year.
You, as an educator, can elevate your voice and make a difference by choosing who represents you in the Idaho Legislature. Do this by being involved, being present, and supporting education-friendly candidates.
“But I’m busy! I’m too tired. I don’t have time.” We all have these concerns.
We can’t let them stop us! If we ignore the issues, they will just continue to take up too much time, make us tired, and add to our daily frustrations.
There are thousands of IEA members in Idaho. We are connected to our communities and families. Our voice carries weight, and we need to use it. Our students need us to be engaged. For their sake, we can’t let ourselves be apathetic.
In the 2024 primary, Moscow Education Association (MEA) and Lewiston Education Association (LEA) came together to support education-friendly candidate Rep. Lori McCann (R-Lewiston), a candidate challenged in the primary by an anti-education candidate. We volunteered for door knocking, held a meet-and-greet and made a commitment to spread the word on why Lori is the right fit for education and the people of Idaho. Organizing to support her in this close election made all the difference.
For the November election, IEA’s Region 2 is working to continue supporting Rep. McCann along with two other IEA-endorsed candidates (Julia Parker and Kathy Dawes), who are challenging Sen. Dan Foreman (R-Moscow) and Rep. Brandon Mitchell (R-Moscow). Some of our Region 2 leaders met with those candidates and asked them how we can best support them moving forward. They shared multiple ways that educators (and anyone, really) can have an impact on a campaign. Essentially, they said it is helpful to invite others to learn more about the candidates you support, contribute time and/or money to their campaign, and bring others with you to the polls to vote.
Donating your time by door-knocking, stuffing envelopes, or making phone calls for a candidate is a time-honored and very effective way to get involved. Donating funds, no matter how small the amount ($10, $20, $50) is always useful. (Think of all the out-of-state money that has been flooding into our state). But those aren’t the only ways to help.
There are several ways to invite others to learn more about a candidate. Send a text to five people saying something like, “I met with ______________, and am really excited about their support for education. I invite you to check out their website at ___________.” You can host a house party for the candidate and bring together some friends to meet them, volunteer for them, or donate to their campaign. Write a letter to the editor — candidate websites have a lot of specifics that can be useful to include. Share on social media, if you are so inclined. According to Julia Parker, using your personal connections to share information about a candidate will have the most influence.
Last but not least, we can invite people to go to the polls in November with us. In several primary elections the voter turnout has been much lower than expected. We need to get our education supporters out to vote in November.
We cannot be apathetic. We need to be active and involved. All of these things will take time and energy, but our students are worth it. We are worth it. The future of education in our state is worth it.
Local elections have statewide consequences. If you don’t have a competitive legislative election happening in your district, you can still have an impact by helping in other districts. As educators, we are a statewide family and you can have an impact in other parts of the state, as well. IEA has a plan for places where we can get the most bang for our buck in terms of winning races that can help education.
Here is our challenge, our call – to action: Pay attention. Get involved. Reach out to your local association, board members, and/or IEA leadership and find out where you can have the biggest impact.
Give your time to support an education-friendly candidate for the November election. The very heart and the core values of our association and our profession are at stake.
Cyndi Faircloth is an IEA board member for Region 2 and a professional educator who has taught in Idaho schools for 27 years.
Lindsey Smith is a middle-level language arts and social studies teacher, Region 2 president of the Idaho Education Association, Lewiston Education Association building representative and negotiator on her local interest-based bargaining team.