2022 KPEA New Educator Welcome

August 5, 2022

Greetings, new colleagues!

Allow me to be the first of your peers to formally welcome you to our school district. I know new hire orientation is a firehose of information – it’s important that you have people to reach out to when you have questions! We are excited to work with you, get to know you, and support you as you work here in KPBSD.

I am the President of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, your local professional educator’s union. KPEA has the legal right and responsibility to represent all certified educators (teachers, counselors, school psychologists, librarians, and more) across the entire Kenai Peninsula. We are made up entirely of folks just like yourself, from all backgrounds and levels of experience. We need you to join and stand with us because whether we admit it or not, we are all in this together. I’m a history teacher – to me, we are much like a phalanx in an ancient army, spear and shield in hand, moving toward our shared objective on the battlefield: the best possible education for every student.

We have learned over the last few years the importance of standing together with our colleagues - trying times create unique challenges, and we need the support of people around us. The union is the single strongest and most effective tool that certified educators have to ensure their own success and well-being, without which we cannot provide the best for our students.

As unionization grows prodigiously nationwide, and as workers stand together for the best for themselves and their families, we can remember that educator unions across the country rekindled much of that in the last few years. Nationwide, we fought for better learning conditions for our students in the #RedForEd movement. By joining KPEA, you become a part of the proud history of educators making a difference for their schools and communities. You also join a coalition that works together with the other major labor unions in the state of Alaska, including the AFL-CIO, supporting workers everywhere.

There is no doubt that there are serious challenges facing education at every level, especially in these tumultuous times - and we need you to join us on the front lines and not stand to the side and let others do that work for you. That can mean as much or little as you want. You can be proud of your membership and leave it at that, or you can refuse to stop until you’re working to influence national policy. I will personally support you whichever way you choose. No matter what, you will have camaraderie and resources that you forego otherwise. Not to mention that not joining leaves the soldier beside you without a shield mate.

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me. You can reach me at nerfurth@kpea-kpesa.org or on district email at nerfurth@kpbsd.org. Learn more about us and join at https://kpea-kpesa.org. Have a fabulous, productive, empowering, and soul-satisfying year!

Best,

Nathan Erfurth
President
Kenai Peninsula Education Association