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What We Believe


Our Commitment to Public Education in Washington County, Maryland

Preamble:  In Washington County, Maryland, one public education community exists that includes teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, all educational support personnel, the elected Board of Education members, parents, guardians/caregivers, students, and other community stakeholders including business and industry leaders. Cooperative and collaborative relationships and partnerships between stakeholders and educators are vital to the health and success of the entire school community which is supported through the bargaining process and negotiated agreements. Formal, informal, and fluid opportunities to collaborate serve the best interests of our educational system, students, and community.  Therefore, we believe, whether at school, via distance learning, or within blended educational settings, that:

  1. Free, quality, equitable, and accessible public education is a fundamental civil right that is vital to sustaining and improving democracy.  
  2. Young people, regardless of who they are, where they are from, what they can do, or what they believe must be educated in the skills and mindsets needed to be responsible, productive, and healthy humans and citizens.
  3. Mental, emotional, and physical wellness (including trauma informed care) of students, families, school employees, and the overall Washington County community must be a priority and be fully resourced and implemented in order for meaningful work and learning to occur.
  4. Actions and decisions in response to national, state, or local emergencies, crises, and initiatives must include the input and cooperation of the entire school community (parents, guardians/caregivers, business and industry leaders, teachers, administrators, and students) to plan, prepare, and implement educational activities in order to ensure equity, accessibility, quality, and success for all.
  5. Roles, responsibilities, and rights of teachers, educational support personnel, and administrators as well as parents, guardians/caregivers, and students must be respected and apparent in all interactions, communications, and decisions so that each individual’s dignity is upheld.
  6. Maryland State Department of Education regulations are necessary for public interests.  According to Education Section 6-408, local school boards and administrative leaders must include and work in good faith with teachers and support personnel through their respective bargaining units* in conversations, decision-making, and task forces/committees relevant to working conditions at school, via distance learning, or within blended educational settings in order to fully support employee efforts to “educate and enable all students to fully access opportunities afforded them in a rapidly changing, diverse, global society” (WCPS Vision Statement).

 *In Washington County, Maryland, teachers are represented by the Washington County Teachers Association (WCTA) and educational support personnel are represented by the Washington County Education Support Personnel (WCESP).

Written and adopted by the Washington County Teachers Association Board of Directors, the 26th day of May 2020, on the eve of the celebration of WCTA’s 100th Anniversary (1921-2021), in support of all partners in the educational community of Washington County, Maryland, and in response to ongoing efforts on behalf of members in this new era of public education. 

2019-2020 WCTA Board of Directors
President – Neil Becker; Vice-President – Carol Mowen; Secretary-Treasurer – Eric Tilmans;
High School – Beckie Higgins-Arey and Carol Kreykenbaum-Barnhart;
Middle School – Tonya Rowe and Eric Yeckley;
Elementary School – Keith McCray, Robin Spickler, and Jeffrey Sievers


To add your name and join us in signing this pledge, please click here.

Jennifer White

Rikki Lauer

Katie Henline

Starlene Hamilton

Nick Mowen

Rebecca Burkett

Anita Higy

Lisa Racine

Stephen Schawalder

Amber R. Woody

Tiffany Lewis

Erin Myers 

Jennifer Perkins

Brittany Miller

Ellie Allen

Jaime Mason Lego

Sara Lewis

Pamela Miles

Justyna Jordan

Sheena Mellott

Christine Hurley

Teresa Jordan

Catherine White

Allison Wadding

Elizabeth Ball

Shayna Warnick

Jason Yockel

Amy Rogers

Jennifer McCallion

David Donnelly

Tracy McKinsey

Joni Smith

Whitley Myers

Amy Taylor 

Julia Reed-Young

Carolyn Holcomb

Sharyan Mowen

Jeffrey Byard 

Cassandra Suder 

Erin Gay

Michelle A Rafter

Becky Kugler 

Michelle Smith

Stacy Henson

Jennifer Horst 

Jennifer Coleman

Andrea Masciocchi

Clinton Baun

Devon Matchock

Marsha Rand

Shannon Unger

Cody Bumbaugh

Kira Piper 

Amanda Bradshaw

Thomas Bradshaw

Jamie Smith

Joy Gallupe

Jenna Garner LCSW-C

Nicole Toye 

Anne Marie Lucas

Kristin Caudill

Stephanie Cooper

Daniel Henderson 

Chuck Pierpont

Justine Keltz

Kerry Ann Stevens Stouffer

Laura Stotler

Rachel L Grantham-Medley

Catherine Grantham 

Marissa Brocious

Joshua Edwards

Dr. Terence C. Ngwa

Danielle Blackford

Danielle Wantz

 

Wendy Rodgers

Julie Piscano

Diana Butler

Helen Tasker

Carlos Mellott

Jaime Bowden

Harley Bronson

Amanda Bayer

Heather A. Hickok

Landon Grove

April Shupp

Sabrina Blair

Charles Bowler

Bridget Herbert

Donna Stouffer

Amy M. Miller

Kevin Alden

Crystal Frazier 

Kathy Yaraghi

Julie Ruos

Renee Emanuel 

Bethany House

Mary Chanda Thompson

Nadine Fox

Chastity Gloyd

Doreena Wood

Valerie Pfister

Kristyn Wagner 

Pamela Shirley

Glenda Zimmerman

Lauren Myers

Karla Dennis

Jennifer Rowden

Amy Shilling

Kirsten Talbert

Jerome Edwards 

Anne Wolter

Elizabeth Phillipson

Corinne Burk

Elizabeth Ball

Amanda Himmelwright

Wendy Wolfrey

William McLaughlin

Summer Allen

Amy Krumpe

Mary Zielinski

Laura Deyerberg

Nicholas roth 

Nitzalis Rivera

Bonnie Abbott 

Richard Helfrich

Carrie Johnson

Mary Kercheval

Jennifer Sweeney

Heather Kaufman

Heather Shaw Ross 

Dana Small

William Hollin

Sharon Cohen

Kathleen L. Edwards

Theresa Wiles

Troy Everly

Kim Brooks

Alicia Walz

Renea Moran 

Sonya Gjurich

Sherie Remsburg 

Linda Becker

Jessica Custer

Wendy Browne

Lindsey L. Sullivan

Carol DeTora

Anne Milton

Susan Mowen

 

Anthony McDonald

Janie Mora

Sri Lindstrom

Dawn Pinkham

Colleen McCray

Djohariah Singer

Lisa Teeter

Pamela J Tew

Leslie Bragunier 

Kaitlin Repp

Elizabeth VanReenen

Amber Forrest 

Shane Miller 

Mary Brown

Tom McNicholas

Casey Hoffman 

Erin Code

Ivan Santiago

Amelia Smith

Kenneth Simmons 

Ralph McDonald

Heather South

Michelle Hetzel

William Rundle

Teresa S.Hess

Kara Bromhal

Skyler Alle 

Emily J. Clark

Betty J. Spessard

Carly Shockey

Melissa Pleasant

Kristen Green

Melanie Currier

Kerry Durgin Krebs

Erin Fox

Megan Snyder

Shelbi Carter

Elizabeth Buckman

Jessica Burton 

Jessica Robertson

Brooke Potts

Cindy N

Denise Beauclair

Giovanna Papa

Jillian E Horton

Christopher Rudisill 

Heidi Potterfield

Julie Keesecker

Sherri Hubstenberger

Leslie French

Cara Price 

Deborah Geis

Shelby Wallace

Michele Foutch

Virginia Beazley

Mandy Cummings 

Lorrie R. Trader

Branin Lewis

Dana Doggett

Lauren Doyle Vaccari

Karla Dennis

Jodi  Gearhart

Brittany Patrick 

Tiffany Miles

Belinda Martin

Bill Sterner

Laura Baker

Samantha Farioli

Linzey Billy

Patricia Truax Blair

Heather Cheshire

Michele Snyder

Kimberly Bowers

Barbara Cosner


Updated August 29, 2020: These “digital” signatures will be updated regularly. Thank you for your support of the Washington County, Maryland, public education community.

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