Every Member Option

Elected officials make decisions about Colorado public education and our jobs. These elected officials -- on school boards, in the Legislature, on the State Board of Education -- make decisions that directly affect each one of us who works in public education. The politicians pay attention to public education and that’s why we pay attention to elected officials.

CEA’s political action committee, The Colorado Fund for Children & Public Education, uses members' contributions called Every Member Option (EMO) so our Association members can be involved in ballot issue campaigns and make contributions to candidates we interview and recommend for election.

Every member should know how Every Member Option works. CEA members contribute $36 (teachers) or $18 (ESP), collected with your dues payment. * This money is set aside in a separate account when it is received. It is used by The Colorado Fund for Children & Public Education to help defeat anti-public education ballot issues; support pro-public education ballot issues; help your local association pass bonds and mill levies and elect school board members; and make contributions to candidates for state elective office (State Board of Education, the Legislature, and statewide offices). It does not help elect any federal candidate to office (Congress, President).

The only candidates we recommend are candidates who demonstrate to us that they measure up on the education issues we care most about – strengthening public education, maximizing student learning, ensuring children’s health and safety, respecting education employees. We recommend candidates only if they complete our entire recommendation process which includes (1) submitting a comprehensive, written questionnaire on public education issues and issues that directly affect public education employees and (2) interviewing face-to-face with local Association members. We recommend Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated candidates. Our recommendation process is bipartisan.

We hope you agree that your EMO contribution is important and you want to add your contribution to those of your fellow members. But if you do not wish to do so, you can get your EMO as a refund by notifying us in writing no later than December 15. (New members who join after November 15 receive a letter from CEA regarding the timeline for obtaining the refund.)

To obtain a refund, send us your full name, home address, and local association name. You can complete this e-mail form or send a written, dated request to:

Every Member Option Refund
Colorado Education Association
1500 Grant Street
Denver, Colorado 80203-1800

When we get your request, we will verify your membership status and send you a refund check. If you have questions about this process, call 800-332-5939 or 303-837-1500 and speak with Linda Lutz.
You may also e-mail Linda.

*Your EMO refund is pro-rated on a monthly basis if you join after September 1 of our membership year. If you pay half dues because you work part-time, EMO is $18 (teachers) or $9 (ESP).