Learn more about Steve Byers, President of the Appoquinimink Education Association, whose leadership and advocacy helped achieve a significant change for middle school counselors in his district. AEA represents over 700 teachers and specialists working in the Appoquinimink School District's 21 schools.
... on why he chose a career in public education
"I always knew I wanted to share my love of history with others. I had great teachers in my life and they had always made a great impact on me. Mrs. Reinfreid, my high school ELA teacher, inspired me to be creative. Professor Aronowicz in college challenged me to really question things and dig deeper. Those are two of many examples of why I became a teacher. I wanted to share my love of history but also make a bigger impact in people’s lives."
... on how he first got involved with his union
"It all started with a voluntary transfer process that went bottom-side up and I had to file a grievance. Filing that grievance is what really got me involved. Plus, my co-teacher at the time, Vickie Caprinolo, recruited me."
... on why he became a local leader for his union
"I started as a building rep and just kept stepping up the ladder as there were needs. I’ve been a Member At Large, Political Action Chair, Vice President, Local President, and DSEA Executive Board Member. I see problems and I want to fix them. I’m not interested in the showmanship; I just want to get stuff done and solve issues for our members. Sometimes, I’m blunt, but in the end, I just want to get things done."
... on the local association win he is most proud of
"Over the last year, we have achieved some strong recruitment and retention benefits for our special education teachers, more protections for our specialists, and, just recently, we were able to negotiate a big change for our middle school counselors, ending the practice of requiring them to handle the master schedule building process. Are any of these victories perfect? No. But all of them are steps in the right direction."
... on what he wants potential members to know
"Your union is not there just to negotiate contracts... We advocate for our members every day to imporove their working conditions and establish boundaries in the workplace. Members may never know everything that their leadership is doing for them behind the scenes."
... on what he wants current members to know
"Every member’s voice is important and the more we stand up for our profession, the more change we can accomplish. When we speak as one voice, we can really make a change."
Local Leader Spotlight: Steve Byers
Learn more about Steve Byers, President of the Appoquinimink Education Association, whose leadership and advocacy helped achieve a significant change for middle school counselors in his district. AEA represents over 700 teachers and specialists working in the Appoquinimink School District's 21 schools.
... on why he chose a career in public education
"I always knew I wanted to share my love of history with others. I had great teachers in my life and they had always made a great impact on me. Mrs. Reinfreid, my high school ELA teacher, inspired me to be creative. Professor Aronowicz in college challenged me to really question things and dig deeper. Those are two of many examples of why I became a teacher. I wanted to share my love of history but also make a bigger impact in people’s lives."
... on how he first got involved with his union
"It all started with a voluntary transfer process that went bottom-side up and I had to file a grievance. Filing that grievance is what really got me involved. Plus, my co-teacher at the time, Vickie Caprinolo, recruited me."
... on why he became a local leader for his union
"I started as a building rep and just kept stepping up the ladder as there were needs. I’ve been a Member At Large, Political Action Chair, Vice President, Local President, and DSEA Executive Board Member. I see problems and I want to fix them. I’m not interested in the showmanship; I just want to get stuff done and solve issues for our members. Sometimes, I’m blunt, but in the end, I just want to get things done."
... on the local association win he is most proud of
"Over the last year, we have achieved some strong recruitment and retention benefits for our special education teachers, more protections for our specialists, and, just recently, we were able to negotiate a big change for our middle school counselors, ending the practice of requiring them to handle the master schedule building process. Are any of these victories perfect? No. But all of them are steps in the right direction."
... on what he wants potential members to know
"Your union is not there just to negotiate contracts... We advocate for our members every day to imporove their working conditions and establish boundaries in the workplace. Members may never know everything that their leadership is doing for them behind the scenes."
... on what he wants current members to know
"Every member’s voice is important and the more we stand up for our profession, the more change we can accomplish. When we speak as one voice, we can really make a change."