Hello! Let me introduce myself, I am Blake Mazurek, the new PAC Chair for KCEA. I am a middle school teacher in Grandville Public Schools (25 yrs) and very active in local, state and national politics. I serve on the MEA Democratic Educators Caucus and many Democratic committees and delegations. While I am clearly a Democrat, I firmly believe in finding common ground and working with people who support public education, regardless of party.
I am settling into this position and getting a handle on our finances, committee members and past initiatives and I’ve got some ideas...
Screening and Recommendation: We are currently setting up a Screening and Recommendation session for the Kentwood City Commission race. My goal is to establish a broad approach to endorsements at all levels of government, from local school board to national Congressional races. It is critical for our organization to encourage and back individuals who support public education.
Legislative Councils:
We have already established and conducted two “Leg Councils” with Representatives Tommy Brann and Lynn Afendoulis and are scheduling a session with Senator Peter MacGregor. Our goal is to conduct Leg Councils with all elected officials in Kent County on a regular basis. These sessions allow for educators to share their experiences and concerns with leaders in Lansing. We discuss legislation, issues we face as a result of legislation and provide a sounding board for these representatives as they weigh important issues that impact our profession and livelihoods. If you know of someone in your district who would like to attend these sessions, please let me know!
PAC Drives: As you are well aware, it is critical that we raise money to support candidates and advocate for our profession! Remember, 40% of PAC funds raised are RETURNED to our local community! I have just received the financial statements and budget for our PAC... we have some work to do! During the June 2018-July 2019 time-frame, only 5% of our entire membership gave to PAC. The 2020 election will be one of the most important elections in our lifetimes and we need to ensure that we elect people who believe in the value of public education, support educators and staff, and properly fund our schools! I will be sending out a new initiative in the coming weeks with a goal to reach 20% of our members participate in recurring contributions for this election cycle called 20 for 20! Stay tuned for more details!
ACTION TEAMS Along with the critical responsibilities in raising money, we need to raise our participation! My goal is to develop a team of people from every local in our coordinated council to commit to taking action. Every local has that one person who is politically astute - always chiming in at the lunch table or staff meeting about something happening in the political sphere. We NEED that person! Many people want to participate but have never been asked!
I am asking that our presidents help identify potential candidates for this team. These individuals will be called upon to raise money (PAC drives), attend committee meetings, join canvassing efforts, Candidate S and R’s, attend rallies, volunteer for candidates, call elected officials, participate in Leg Councils, advocate for public education and the like. I’m looking for people who will be ACTIVE.
Local President Outreach I will be reaching out to each local president in the coming weeks. The purpose is to introduce myself, share more details about our work ahead and answer questions. In the meantime, if you have any questions or ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me! My contact information: 616-540-8902 [email protected] (Preferred), [email protected] (school)
In Solidarity,
Blake Mazurek KCEA PAC Chair
I am settling into this position and getting a handle on our finances, committee members and past initiatives and I’ve got some ideas...
Screening and Recommendation: We are currently setting up a Screening and Recommendation session for the Kentwood City Commission race. My goal is to establish a broad approach to endorsements at all levels of government, from local school board to national Congressional races. It is critical for our organization to encourage and back individuals who support public education.
Legislative Councils:
We have already established and conducted two “Leg Councils” with Representatives Tommy Brann and Lynn Afendoulis and are scheduling a session with Senator Peter MacGregor. Our goal is to conduct Leg Councils with all elected officials in Kent County on a regular basis. These sessions allow for educators to share their experiences and concerns with leaders in Lansing. We discuss legislation, issues we face as a result of legislation and provide a sounding board for these representatives as they weigh important issues that impact our profession and livelihoods. If you know of someone in your district who would like to attend these sessions, please let me know!
PAC Drives: As you are well aware, it is critical that we raise money to support candidates and advocate for our profession! Remember, 40% of PAC funds raised are RETURNED to our local community! I have just received the financial statements and budget for our PAC... we have some work to do! During the June 2018-July 2019 time-frame, only 5% of our entire membership gave to PAC. The 2020 election will be one of the most important elections in our lifetimes and we need to ensure that we elect people who believe in the value of public education, support educators and staff, and properly fund our schools! I will be sending out a new initiative in the coming weeks with a goal to reach 20% of our members participate in recurring contributions for this election cycle called 20 for 20! Stay tuned for more details!
ACTION TEAMS Along with the critical responsibilities in raising money, we need to raise our participation! My goal is to develop a team of people from every local in our coordinated council to commit to taking action. Every local has that one person who is politically astute - always chiming in at the lunch table or staff meeting about something happening in the political sphere. We NEED that person! Many people want to participate but have never been asked!
I am asking that our presidents help identify potential candidates for this team. These individuals will be called upon to raise money (PAC drives), attend committee meetings, join canvassing efforts, Candidate S and R’s, attend rallies, volunteer for candidates, call elected officials, participate in Leg Councils, advocate for public education and the like. I’m looking for people who will be ACTIVE.
Local President Outreach I will be reaching out to each local president in the coming weeks. The purpose is to introduce myself, share more details about our work ahead and answer questions. In the meantime, if you have any questions or ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me! My contact information: 616-540-8902 [email protected] (Preferred), [email protected] (school)
In Solidarity,
Blake Mazurek KCEA PAC Chair