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:
- Free, quality, equitable, and accessible public education is a fundamental civil right that is vital to sustaining and improving democracy.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.