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About Us

The Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE) is a Colorado-based, non-profit, professional educator association, dedicated to the academic and personal growth of every student.  PACE is committed to advancing the teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, advocacy and protection, as well as promoting educational excellence.  PACE strives to empower educators as professionals, promote collaborative and innovative educational partnerships, and help Colorado become a better place for teachers to teach and for students to learn. 


Who We Are

PACE, an affiliate of the Association of American Educators (AAE), is part of a coalition of more than 300,000 teachers across the country who have joined an independent, non-union, professional educator association.  PACE is not a labor union.  We are a non-profit, professional association, created and led by educators.  We do not engage in collective bargaining efforts.  We are non-partisan, do not endorse, support or contribute to any political cause or candidacy, and concentrate solely on improving our education system.

PACE was created to give Colorado educators a state-based alternative choice in professional membership, an organization which meets their professional needs (e.g., professional development resources, workshops, and conferences; advocacy services; liability insurance and legal protection benefits; scholarships and grants).  PACE believes it is the teacher in the classroom that makes the difference in a child’s education.  Therefore, PACE is working to make a difference in Colorado by helping educators become better professionals so that they are better able serve their students, schools, and communities.

We believe the needs of the student are paramount.  We believe that strikes and boycotts are detrimental to students and to the reputation of teachers as professionals.  We are dedicated to improving education through cooperation, not confrontation.  We endorse more local control of education, greater parental involvement, and high standards for students and teachers.

As a professional association, we are devoted to working collaboratively with all stakeholders – parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the community - to build support for educational improvement and innovations in order to advance and improve the educational system.

PACE is incorporated as a nonprofit, professional association, IRS designation 501(c)(6).

 
Professional Development

We believe the opportunity to learn and grow is key to a satisfying career in education.  Professional development is therefore a key focus for PACE.

We strive to provide our members a variety of resources for professional development through conferences, newsletters, teacher scholarships, classroom mini-grants, inservices, and workshops.  We actively seek collaborative opportunities for educational advancement (e.g., licensure, endorsements, continuing education) with Colorado and national education entities.

Our goal is to support a variety of personal professional development and educational advancement initiatives which will improve teachers’ skills, their knowledge, and ultimately their profession.  For, we know that teachers are the best advocates for kids.

 
Teacher Advocacy

PACE listens to its members to determine what they want as professional educators.  Once we have heard from our members, we provide an opportunity for their voice to be heard within Colorado’s ongoing educational dialogue.  PACE and AAE work at the local, state, and national levels to provide policy-makers with cutting-edge analyses of education issues which our members tell us are important to them through feedback and surveys.

Our members’ dues are not used for non-educational issues, political issues, or social agendas.  We do not use dues to support any political candidate, advocacy, or cause.  We believe that non-education-related personal politics are your business.  Instead, we work to empower our members so that they can be involved in improving education within their classroom, school, community, state, and nation.

One of PACE's major goals is to demonstrate to school boards, the educational community, and our state and federal representatives, that we represent a new generation of trained professional educators, devoted to revitalizing our schools with proven, child-centered methods and programs.

 
Protection

PACE provides both legal assistance and liability insurance, $2,000,000 of protection per occurrence.  PACE members have free access to our attorney referral network or they may seek out legal representation of their own choosing.  In instances when a member chooses to his or her own attorney, he or she will be reimbursed for services rendered up to the limits specified in the policy.

Our liability insurance policy covers you and protects your interests, not the interests of AAE nor PACE.  As a PACE member, you have guaranteed and immediate legal counsel at the onset of workplace issues.  No other organization can make that promise.

AAE is a member of the Trust for Insuring Educators (TIE), which is administered by Forrest T. Jones & Company in Kansas City, Missouri.  Forrest T. Jones is a nationally-recognized leader in association group insurance with over 40 years’ experience.  The Trust serves over 60 professional education associations, totaling more than 1.7 million members.

 
Membership

PACE professional membership is $180 annually ($15 per month).  Members begin receiving benefits on the day they join.

Professional membership is open to any employee of an educational entity (e.g., teachers, para-professionals, counselors, school psychologists, school and district administrators) in the state of Colorado.  Pre-service teachers who are working towards licensure, retired educators, and associate members may join at a reduced rate ($25 annually).

 
PACE Affiliations

PACE is an affiliate of the Association of American Educators (AAE), a national non-partisan professional association which neither supports nor opposes controversial political issues unrelated to public education.  The AAE has members in all 50 states and the membership is growing every day.

Our partnership with the AAE provides access to an extensive collegial network of educators throughout the United States and unlocks access to a wealth of knowledge and experience held by some of the finest educational leaders in the country.  The AAE also provides local support services to PACE and advocates for our members at the national level in Washington, DC.

Through PACE, Colorado becomes the 25th state to provide an independent state teacher association.  Over the last ten years, the number of states with non-union professional associations has grown from 10 to 25.  PACE is a part of a national coalition of more than 300,000 professional educators who have decided to join an independent professional association. 

 
We Believe

  • Education is a calling.  Professionalism is a choice.
  • The needs of the student are paramount. 
  • All children deserve to be treated with respect, cared for with love, and given an equal opportunity to learn.
  • Educational innovations advance and improve the educational system.
  • Educators are professionals and deserve to be recognized and treated as such.
  • The opportunity to learn and grow is key to a satisfying career in education.
  • True professionals are actively engaged in improving their profession.
  • All stakeholders – parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the community – deserve a voice in the educational process.
  • Education must be improved through cooperation, not confrontation. 
  • Empowered and informed professional educators promote what is best for children.
  • Teachers view themselves as academic professionals and aspire to be treated just like other professionals: doctors, lawyers, scientists, and engineers.
  • Strikes and boycotts are detrimental to students and to the reputation of teachers as professionals. 
  • Colorado needs strong local control of education, greater parental involvement, and high standards of excellence and accountability for all stakeholders – parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the community.
 
We Provide

  • Professional development and training in order to advance knowledge, abilities, and earning potential - We provide a variety of resources for professional development through conferences, newsletters, teacher scholarships, classroom mini-grants, inservices, and workshops. We establish collaborative opportunities for educational advancement (e.g., licensure, endorsements, continuing education) with Colorado and national education entities.
  • Member benefits, such as liability insurance and legal protection - PACE provides $2 million in legal and liability insurance for $180 a year ($15 per month).
  • Grants and other forms of monetary support and assistance in order to advance the profession - PACE offers Teacher Scholarships and Classroom Mini-Grants for professional development and class projects.
  • Partnerships with educational institutions and research organizations to further education and member advancement - We are devoted to working collaboratively with all stakeholders – parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the community – to build support for educational improvement and innovations in order to advance and improve the educational system.
  • A voice on educational issues that affect teachers most - PACE listens to its members to determine what they want as professional educators. Once we have heard from our members, we provide an opportunity for their voice to be heard within Colorado’s ongoing educational dialogue. PACE and AAE work at the local, state, and national levels to provide policymakers with cutting-edge analyses of education issues which our members tell us are important to them through feedback and surveys. PACE does not get involved in political issues or social agendas that are outside the realm of education. As a result, PACE does not endorse, support or contribute to any political cause or candidacy.

PACE Member Survey
In this survey we ask for your opinions and insights on how PACE can best serve you.

Risks Facing Today's Educators
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