Justin Heid has been at the post since July 1st.
Justin Heid, President, Frederick County Teachers Association
(Photo from FCTA website)
Frederick, Md (KM) Members of the Frederick County Teachers Association have elected a new president. He is Justin Heid who has been in the post since July 1st. Heid replaces Missy Dirks who had been the President of FCTA for the past ten years. She will be returning to the classroom in the fall.
Heid has been a teacher in Frederick County Public Schools for 20 years, working at Walkersville, Tuscarora and Oakdale Elementary Schools. He was Vice President of the FCTA for the past eight years. “I feel very confident in the Association and looking forward for this new role as President, and to continue advocating for the students and educators of FCPS,” says Heid.
He says one major issue facing FCTA members has to do with compensation. “One of the biggest challenges is making sure we are competitive with our salaries compared to some of the other counties that are around us,” Heid says.
He says the public can get involved in making sure teachers are paid competitive salaries and don’t have to leave Frederick County for higher compensation. “They’re in this community. Their children, as they come through the school system, they would have the most highly qualified teachers because we’d be recruiting them and retaining them and wanting them to stay here in Frederick County instead of going to Montgomery County or to a Howard {County},” says Heid.
This has been an issue for many years, but Heid says there is some progress to report in making sure teachers’ salaries in Frederick County are competitive. “I know that we do have the Maryland Blueprint that does require us to get to $60,000 so we are getting close that mark,” he says. “We do have our benefits that helped to make us more competitive. But I think we still have some work to do to be competitive with the Montgomery and Howard Counties, those districts that are close by.”
Class size is another big issue. “I know we can’t negotiate, but I know there’s a lot of voice around people with class size; the amount of students that are in our classrooms,” says Heid. “But that’s not something that can be negotiated right now. But it is something that’s a concern of many of our members in FCPS, but also across the state.”
Heid says taking on Presidency of the FCTA is a heavy responsibility. “President is kind of the face of the organization. But there’s a lot of people behind me , supporting me and guiding me, making sure I make the best decisions for the organization.,” he says.
By Kevin McManus