Horseheads Teachers' Association
Election Newsletter
Special Edition
Please take a moment to read the information below regarding the candidates for the upcoming Horseheads Teachers Association elections. Each candidate was asked to submit a photo and respond to the following questions. Candidates were limited to a total of 750 words for answers to #3 through #5. If a candidate profile doesn't appear, it is because that candidate did not respond to the editors inquiry by the stated deadline.
- Subject area/building
- # of years of experience/# of years at in the Horseheads District
- Prior HTA experience, offices held, committee participation
- Your top three priorities if elected to this position
- Additional information, recognition, honors, awards or accomplishments
Election Dates
Executive vote: June 2, 2016
Building Representative vote: June 7, 2016
------President------
Vote for ONE
Jamy Brice-Hyde
YOUR VOICE MATTERS!!!
My name is Jamy Brice-Hyde and I am running for HTA President. I have spent 17 years in Horseheads Central school district as a Social Studies teacher in the High School. I believe in our union with all my heart and soul. Eugene Debs said, “When I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks.”
I have actively served my union over the past 15 years in the following capacity:
• Former HTA Secretary 4yrs.
• Building Representative for 11 years, proudly served 3 presidents
• Committee of 100,
• NYSUT Endorsement Committee,
• AFL-CIO Endorsement Convention
• RA Delegate and Alternate Delegate,
• In-Service committee, Former Chair,
• APPR Committee,
• Elections Committee, former chair
• Political Action Coordinator for 4 years,
• NYSUT Policy Council, Currently serving a three year term
• NYSUT Social Studies Content Area Committee,
• NYSUT Civil and Human Rights Committee, and the NYSUT Women’s Rights Subcommittee http://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/social-justice/civil-and-human-rights-committee
YOUR Voice Matters!! The U and I in UNION is what makes US STRONG! I am asking for your vote to help me lead this union to become a vibrant responsive union where each member feels supported by their union. A union respected in the community for our engagement in uplifting our profession and supporting our students. A union that is more responsive and transparent to our members’ needs and concerns. A union that affects positive results from policymakers in Albany and Washington! I bring to the HTA my experience with national and state level unions and policymakers that provide me with the skills and ability to take the HTA to a whole new level of member engagement and community involvement. The LAP team has improved our visibility in our community. We have the most incredibly talented group of educators in our region. It is time that each member of our union feels respected, supported and uplifted by their union. It is time to for us to organize to insure the complete restoration of the Horseheads School District. It is time to raise our teacher voices and get teachers and their students what they need.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS! I have a plan to make sure each members’ voice is heard:
We are in this together! I care about your concerns and issues. Your Union will respond.
I will hold monthly Presidents chats in each building as well as Presidents meetings with building administrators.
We will build a more collaborative union allowing for more member engagement in decision making through committees.
Together we will develop a union support system in each building to decrease the stressful work environment so many of our members are experiencing.
I promise to keep you informed of everything that impacts the conditions of your work with weekly updates
Provide members with contact information for all Officers and Building Representatives.
Provide opportunities for the voice of members of the HTA to be heard at National Representative Conventions of the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association
I spend every day advocating for public education and uplifting our profession below are a few things that I have been working on the past two years:
American Federation of Teachers/BAT Facilitator of the Quality of Work Life Team since 2014 facilitated the Quality of Work Life National Survey resulting in legislative language (Booker-Bennet Amendment) for Title II Funding for Workplace Studies in the Every Student Succeeds Act 2015 signed by President Obama in December of 2015. Currently negotiating the first ever national study of working conditions in public schools with National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randi-weingarten/the-power-of-collective-v_b_7827116.html https://danielskatz.net/2015/08/07/the-teaching-workplace-missing-the-forest-for-the-bathroom-stalls/comment-page-1/
Testified to the USDOE in January of 2016 on Title I implementation of the ESSA. I was one of three public school teachers testifying nationally. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/speakerlistdcmtg1112016.pdf
Listed as Contributor to the Governors Common Core Task Force shared statistical data on the impact of Implementation of Common Core on teachers and their students. https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NewYorkCommonCoreTaskForceFinalReport2015.pdf
Co-Author of Amicus Curiae Brief on behalf of Classroom teachers across the country in the Fredrichs V. CTA Supreme Court Case which was affirmed. http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/supreme_court_preview/briefs_2015_2016/14-915_amicus_resp_BrittanyAlexander.authcheckdam.pdf
Presenter at the AFT TEACH Convention 2015 can be see here at 15 minutes into the presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7SdPZmC8-Q&index=16&list=PL-T5PpTCIN8CED4yAExxOMEqzKjcKTUQz
And here is American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten announcing my teams legislative victory in DC at the AFT TEACH Convention about 4 minutes in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPU2U4MD8dw&list=PL-T5PpTCIN8CED4yAExxOMEqzKjcKTUQz&index=36
Member of the Board of Directors for the Badass Teachers Association and NY BATs a grass roots education advocacy organization fighting against the privatization of Public education globally with over 7OK members.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS! VOTE BRICE-HYDE FOR PRESIDENT!
Hether Gillette
Hello, this is Hether Gillette. I teach eighth grade math at the Middle School. I have been teaching in the District for sixteen years and am the current HTA president. I have served as a building rep for two years, vice president for two years, president for four years, representative assembly delegate for six years, New York State retirement delegate for five years, negotiations team member for one contract negotiation, and an HTA LAP team member for two years.
I have been happy to serve as the HTA president for the past four years and would be honored to continue to serve the membership in this capacity. If re-elected, I will work with the HTA officers and executive council to represent the needs and interests of all HTA members. I will continue to represent the HTA in lobbying our legislators in Albany and at local legislative offices and community events. I will continue to attend and participate in NYSUT conferences, rallies and forums. I will continue to represent our members at Board of Education meetings and budget workshops. In my role as a LAP team member, I have worked with the team to: bring back the welcome back breakfast, create an HTA logo, create the HTA website, Facebook page and Twitter account, and build stronger relationships with community groups like the Horseheads Youth Bureau, Strong Kids Safe Kids, local labor unions, the Arctic League, area youth sports organizations and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. All of these endeavors have been to build our brand within the district and the community, increase political activism, and increase communication and unity within the HTA. If re-elected, I am committed to attend the third year of the NYSUT training for the LAP program which ensures the HTA’s place in the program by having the local’s president attend. I will continue to work with this group and the HTA PR coordinators to build on our momentum and expand these endeavors, as well as increase communication and member participation in order to strengthen our union.
Thank you for your support these past four years. I ask for your vote to continue in the role as HTA president for the next two years.
Thank you. ~ Hether
------Vice President------
Dora Leland
My Fellow HTA Members,
I am honored to be nominated for the position of Vice-President. I have been a Social Studies teacher for 26 years, 14 of those years at Horseheads Middle School. I have served as a building Representative for the Middle School for 8 years prior to my role as Vice-President. It has been my privilege to serve as Vice-President for the past four years. In that time, I have worked closely with the other HTA officers as well as with the Executive Council. I believe that we have made great strides in that time, but there is still much work to do.
As Vice-President, I have attended monthly labor management meetings. In these meetings, concerns brought up in executive council meetings as well as by individual members were discussed with Central Administration. I have also served on several district committees such as the Mentoring committee and APPR committee. The concerns and ideas of HTA members are important to me and I will ensure that your voices are heard.
I have served as the LAP (Local Assistance Program) Coordinator for HTA. This was a grant that I helped to write and implement. It is a program offered by NYSUT that helps to empower a local by providing training and much needed funds to implement objectives that the team feels would strengthen their membership. I have attended the training with our HTA Lap Team for the past two years. In that time we have made substantial gains. I feel we now have an identity as a local with our logo and slogan. As a local, we have been more politically active and aware and our communication is vastly improved, with our website, Facebook Page and Twitter feed. This summer will be our final year for LAP attendance.
Although we have grown tremendously as a local, I believe there is still much to accomplish. Three goals I have for HTA are to continue to increase member engagement, increase our political activism and awareness and lastly, to increase our presence in the community. I would like HTA to connect with other NYSUT locals to achieve common goals. Additionally, I would like HTA to become more active in collaborating with other area union organizations. I feel this is a critical time for labor unions in NY and the nation as a whole. It is imperative that we work together to preserve the rights and protections that were so hard earned, especially at a time when they are constantly under attack.
I feel I can help HTA make these connections. I am the NYSUT VOTE-COPE Coordinator for the Elmira Regional Office. In that position, I regularly communicate with other local presidents in our region. As the Vice-President of the Chemung-Schuyler Labor Council, I communicate regularly with representatives from various labor unions in the Southern Tier. Communication and collaboration, to me, are the key to growing and strengthening our union.
As your Vice-President, I promise to continue to work diligently to represent and support our membership. I believe we have a group of amazing professionals with many different perspectives and ideas. It would be my privilege to represent you as your vice-president.
In Solidarity,
Dora Leland
------Treasurer------
Brandon Johnson
Social Studies 8 – Middle School
6 years experience as Treasurer/ 18 year in district
4 years as RA Delegate, 3 years as LAP Team member, NYSUT Small and Rural Locals Committee
As HTA Treasurer, my priorities would be to maintain accurate records and membership rolls, continue to keep our local union in financial solvency and ensure all taxes and fees are paid in a timely manner to ensure our continued success. I would also be responsible for presenting the budget to the executive council and ensuring that all necessary dues are paid to NYSUT.
It has been an honor to serve as HTA treasurer for the past six years and I look forward to continuing to work for what’s best for our local and for unionism in general.
------Secretary------
Vote for ONE
Tiffany Bratz
Bonjour! My name is Tiffany Bratz and I teach French at the high school. My colleagues have graciously nominated me to become your HTA Secretary. Five of my seven years teaching have been here, in the Raider Nation. During these five years, I have gradually increased my involvement in the school community as a member of my building’s Site Team ([from]12’), as a supervisor at athletic events (12’-15’), as a scorekeeper and announcer for the Boys and Girls Swim & Diving Teams (12’), as a Co-Advisor of the Sophomore class (14’), as the School on Saturday supervisor (15’), as an HTA Building Representative (15’), and as a foreign ambassador who organizes scholastic excursions for our students to Québec City.
As a Site Team member, I participated in the Student of the Month Committee as the responsible of 9th-grade nominees and monthly completion of merit certificates; I was a member of the Academic Vocabulary Committee; currently I participate in the Freshman Foundations Committee where we are looking into designing a course to help students prepare for their remaining years of compulsory education. Since becoming an HTA Building Representative, I have made a conscious effort to participate in a community-building event each month. This is a commitment I will try my best to uphold as your Secretary. This year’s participation includes Strong Kids Safe Kids, Staff Chats, packing at the Arctic League, trainings at the NYSUT office, a BOE meeting, a Labor and Religion dinner and, most recently, organizing monthly “Lunch[es] with a Building Rep” (April-June) at the high school. If elected to the position of Secretary, my top three priorities would be sharing information with you in a timely fashion, working with the other members of the Executive Council to make HTA documents more readily available (i.e. posting contracts, by-laws and meeting minutes on the website) and learning from you to help the HTA continue to improve your quality of life as a member. My experience with various organizations throughout the district speaks directly the orderliness and coordination required to be an efficient Secretary. It would be an honor to serve you as your association’s Secretary. Thank you for your consideration!
Kelly Schrage
My name is Kelly Schrage, and I am running for re-election as your HTA Secretary. For those that do not know me, I have been teaching for 15 years in the Horseheads District at Big Flats Elementary. My husband has been teaching at the middle school for 18 years, and my two sons attend schools in the district.
Over the past four years, I have had the honor of serving as your HTA Secretary and being on the Executive Council. During that time, members have been kept current on union information through detailed minutes of Executive Council meetings, the sharing of the Treasurer’s Reports, and the distribution of informational emails. While serving as Secretary, I have supported our union and members by participating in NYSUT Union Leader training in Elmira, NYSUT Southern Tier Regional Spring Leadership Conferences in Otsego, the BOE candidates’ endorsement committee, past nomination committees, forums, rallies, HTA Happy Hours, the yearly new teacher & building rep trainings provided by NYSUT, VOTE-COPE contributions, and assisting the Big Flats building reps as needed. I have volunteered and represented the HTA at the Strong Kids Safe Kids tent, handing out school supplies at RR Open House, attending BOE meetings, and most recently by participating at the Komen Race for the Cure on the Horseheads Teachers’ team - wow was that race cold!
I am running for reelection for Secretary to continue to serve our union. If reappointed I will continue to be an active part of the HTA union and a voice for elementary teachers. This voice will be vital as the district looks to modify the elementary school day and make decisions about how to change the elementary work day. Please consider my experience and dedication when voting for HTA Secretary. I respectfully ask for your support and vote so I may continue to serve you.
Secretary: keeps the minutes of general and Executive Council meetings and send copies to officers and members, maintain file of the Association including copies of the Constitution and By-Laws, ensure annual budget is adopted and recorded in the minutes.
------Representative Assembly------
Vote for TWO
Jamy Brice-Hyde
My name is Jamy Brice-Hyde and I am asking for your vote as HTA Delegate to the NYSUT Representative Assembly. I have spent 17 years in Horseheads Central school district as a Social Studies teacher in the High School. I believe in our union with all my heart and soul. Eugene Debs said, “When I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks.”
I have actively served my union over the past 15 years in the following capacity:
Former HTA Secretary 4yrs.
Building Representative for 11 years, proudly served 3 presidents
Committee of 100,
Regularly attend NYSUT Election District Meetings and trainings
Regular attendee of the NYSUT Leadership Conference
Regular attendee to local Labor councils events and meetings
NYSUT Endorsement Committee,
AFL-CIO Endorsement Convention
RA Delegate and Alternate Delegate,
In-Service committee, Former Chair,
APPR Committee,
Elections Committee, former chair
Political Action Coordinator for 4 years,
NYSUT Policy Council, Currently serving a three year term
NYSUT Social Studies Content Area Committee,
NYSUT Civil and Human Rights Committee, and the NYSUT Women’s Rights Subcommittee
As the HTA Delegate to representative assembly I promise to inform our membership of New Business Items and Resolutions so that you may have input on my votes. I promise to write and present New Business Items and Resolutions if I am asked to do so by our membership. My extensive involvement in NYSUT has assisted me in creating relationships with unionist from across New York State as well as NYSUT leaders. My work on the Policy Council provides me with the pulse of our statewide union putting us in a great position to have a strong voice at the NYSUT Representative Assembly.
Brandon Johnson
4 years experience in RA/ 18 years in district
6 years experience as Treasurer, 3 years as LAP Team member, NYSUT Small and Rural Locals Committee
I have had the honor of being one of your delegates to the NYSUT Representative Assembly for the past four years. In that time, I have had the opportunity to work closely with both Matt Hill, our Regional Director to the NYSUT Board of Directors, and Rick Gallant, our At-Large Director to the Board of Directors. I have met numerous other local leaders from throughout New York State, building ties with them that help to strengthen the solidarity of our statewide union as well as putting Horseheads on the map as an active and informed local union.
A delegate to the RA must be able to set aside his or her personal opinions and vote for the best interests of the local union. A delegate must also be someone who is respected within the local union. He or she will be the face of your union that you present to the rest of NYSUT. I have worked hard as an active union member to gain your trust and respect. If elected to the RA, I vow to continue representing your interests and views to the best of my abilities.
I thank you for allowing me to be your representative to NYSUT for the past four years and I hope you will continue to place your trust in me for the upcoming school year.
Dora Leland
My Fellow HTA Members,
I am honored to be nominated for the position of Representative Assembly Delegate. I have been a 7th grade Social Studies teacher for 26 years, 14 at Horseheads Middle School. I have served as a delegate representing Horseheads and NYSUT Educational District 46 for the past seven years. In that time I have faithfully attended ED 46 meetings as well as numerous political action events such as Committee of 100 meetings with local state legislators, “Tell it Like It Is” forums with NYSUT leadership and political rallies supporting fair, representative education. I have also attended all of the annual RA Conventions.
As a delegate, I believe it is imperative to be well informed and connected with issues that impact us as educators. It is of great importance to me to stay up to date with current educational and labor-related issues. As such, I have made continuous efforts to keep abreast of current events via social media, educational blogs, as well as many other outlets. Through this, I have been able to communicate with many teachers and union leaders regarding issues facing their schools. I have also attended many union-sponsored training conferences. This has provided me with valuable information that would be important to performing the duties of a Representative Delegate. I serve as the VOTE-COPE Coordinator for the Elmira Regional Office. I communicate regularly with other local presidents and RA delegates representing ED 46. I believe this communication is critical in uniting and strengthening not only our local, but our region as a whole. Additionally, I currently serve as Vice-President of the Chemung- Schuyler Labor council in which I represent HTA and NYSUT. The council is a collaboration of labor unions in the Southern Tier. As Vice-President, I have begun efforts to increase communication and collaboration between labor organizations as well as share vital information and concerns of labor with fellow members and the public through the use of social media
I believe this is a critical time, not only for NYSUT, but for our local union and all unions in general. Teachers need a stronger voice in making educational policy and decisions. Our local needs a stronger voice in NYSUT. As a delegate, I will strive to make your voices and concerns heard. I am committed to being an active delegate. For the past two years I have participated in attending a Local Action Plan (LAP) training in which members of our team worked on developing strategies toward strengthening our union and building community support for our teachers. Throughout the year, we were able to put many of those strategies in action. HTA now has a logo and a brand, we have reached out into the community to build support, and we have also made our voices heard politically by increasing our political action, both on a local level with BOE endorsements, and on a state level- meeting with our representative and Senator to discuss our concerns. This is a start, but we have much work to do. It is time that teachers take control of their profession, and I believe that being politically active is a key to achieving that. As your Representative Delegate, I will continue to work to make our voices heard.
In Solidarity,
Dora Leland
Stephanie Lewis
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Hello! I am a fifth grade teacher at the Intermediate School with 19 years in the Horseheads District, and I would like to be a part of the Representative Assembly. I know the teachers in our union have worked very hard, and I would like to step up and get involved. We are fortunate to have a strong union, and I want to see our members protected and our profession respected. My priority is to help our union stay strong and support our members in these uncertain times. I would appreciate your vote!
Yours in solidarity,
Stephanie Lewis
------Retirement Delegate------
Vote for TWO
Jamy Brice-Hyde
I am asking for you to vote for any candidate that is running that has not had the opportunity to serve our union in a leadership role in the past. We must diversify the leadership of our union and provide everyone an opportunity to serve in various roles in the union. Eugene Debs said, “When I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks.”
Hether Gillette
Hello again, this is Hether Gillette. I am also running for New York State Retirement Delegate. I have served the district in this position for five years and will serve a sixth year starting in August. I would be honored to serve another year two year term. As a retirement delegate I am a representative for all employees in the district eligible to retire under the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS). I participate annually in the election of a teacher representative to the NYSTRS Board. As a delegate, I am a resource for anyone seeking basic information regarding NYSTRS, schedules for NYSTRS seminars and can help guide members in setting up online accounts. Information that I received from being a delegate was very useful in my position as HTA president, as well as a member of the negotiating team. I would appreciate your vote for retirement delegate. Thank you. ~ Hether
Brandon Johnson
No experience/18 years in district
6 years experience as Treasurer, 4 years as RA delegate, 3 years as LAP Team member, NYSUT Small and Rural Locals Committee
If elected to be a Retirement Delegate, I would act essentially as a conduit between our retirees and the New York State Retirement System. I would do my best to help current and future retirees to navigate the sometimes complicated system of retirement by getting them connected with the proper channels at the NYSTRS, as well as perform the duty of attending the annual NYSTRS Conference and elect teacher members to the board who will serve the Retirees well.
I thank you for your consideration for this position and welcome the honor of representing HTA retirees in this capacity.
Dora Leland
My Fellow HTA Members,
I am honored to be nominated for the position of New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) Delegate. I have served as an Alternate Delegate to the NYSTRS representing Horseheads this past year. I have also been a Delegate for the past seven years. As a Delegate to the Teachers’ Retirement System, I have attended the Annual Conference in which information regarding our retirement system was presented.
So, what is NYSTRS? This, from the NYSTRS website, explains the function of the program.
The New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) was established in 1921 by an act of the state legislature and is the second-largest of eight public retirement systems in New York State. NYSTRS administers the fund from which public school teachers and administrators employed outside New York City receive retirement and ancillary benefits.
NYSTRS directs a defined benefit plan. In addition to a service retirement pension, this includes disability and death benefits; the ability to borrow from member contributions; and, in some cases, coverage for beneficiaries. Payments to eligible members and beneficiaries are guaranteed by law and cannot be reduced under New York's current constitution. Benefits generally take into account factors such as age, years of service, final average salary and tier of membership.
Benefit improvements, such as early retirement incentives, must be enacted into law by the state legislature and governor. NYSTRS is charged only with administering the plan as provided by law.
Each year the System adopts a program of legislative proposals to streamline operations or address certain inequities in benefits. In addition, it provides the legislature with statistical and cost information on bills affecting members.
NYSTRS membership as of June 30, 2014 totaled more than 270,000 active members and nearly 156,000 retirees and beneficiaries.
As a Delegate representing Horseheads, I would consider it my responsibility to stay abreast of current information and news regarding our retirement system and then share that with our membership. I would also act as a liaison between our membership and NYSTRS, directing questions and concerns to the proper avenue. There are many changes occurring in education right now and our Retirement System is not immune to that. It is critical that as members we stay informed and engaged in the process. As your delegate, I would be committed to doing just that.
In Solidarity,
Julie Stratton
-----------HTA on Social Media-----------
We're On Facebook at:
We're on Twitter at:
HTA United
If you haven't done so already, please create an account on our website at http://www.htaunited.org/
Become part of HTA United's communication network!