Provo PESPA

01/29/2026

Hello PESPA Members,

Long time, no see! Going forward for the schools and departments that have an AR. We will begin sending communications to those individuals and then filter down from them to our members instead of one massive email. This newsletter is a bit longer than usual, but it contains important information you need to be aware of. Please take a few minutes to read through it carefully. I have also opted to not make a video to get this out. If the videos are helpful let me know and I will be glad to start doing them again. Now let's dive into this lengthy news letter!

IMPORTANT – AT A GLANCE
📌 District budget proposals for the 2026–2027 school year are under discussion

🗣️ Now is the time to give feedback to the Board of Education and your Union!

💳 Auto-pay update – we’re at ~50% participation (I could be off but here ya go!)

🎉 PESPA Member Event: March 12, 2026 @ PDC (1:00–5:00 PM) & helpful links

📅 Upcoming PESPA & district meeting dates listed below

📲Call to action! Speak up!

District Budget Proposals – Your Voice Matters
The Provo City School Board has been discussing budget proposals and cost-saving ideas for the 2026–2027 school year. I want to be very clear: this is the time for you, as an employee, to give input to both the Board of Education and your union.

The district is actively asking for:

Ideas on how to reduce spending or save money

Feedback on cost-saving ideas already being considered

I strongly encourage you to email the board member over your school and CC the union, [email protected], so your voice is heard on both levels.
Please use [email protected] when copying the union — it’s a two-for-one deal.

I have personally reached out with ideas I have not seen discussed in board meetings or written proposals, including:

Energy-saving opportunities

Overtime usage

The need for more regular and transparent budget reports so supervisors can make informed decisions

(As a supervisor, I have not received a clear budget in more years than I can remember.)

📎 The 2026–2027 budget proposal is attached to this newsletter.
Please remember: these are proposals only — nothing is set in stone.

I want to emphasize this clearly:

Now is the time to ask questions and provide feedback.
Waiting until May means it is too late.

The Board genuinely wants to hear from employees, and your union needs to know how members feel going into negotiations.

📣 I encourage union members to join me at the Board of Education meeting on February 10 at 6:00 PM to respectfully address concerns, ask questions, and share ideas. Please be polite, but don’t hesitate to speak up — your voice matters.

I encourage you to review the proposal yourself and watch the board meetings to hear the discussion firsthand. I will attach the link to the study session when they discuss the budget proposals. Timestamp for the budget proposal starts 33 minutes and 41 seconds and goes to 1 hour and 21 minutes 47 seconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUAw0pAfgXw

Auto-Pay Update
Great news! 🎉
We have reached about 50% of members switched over to auto-pay, with over 70 members enrolling in a short period of time. That is a big achievement and deserves recognition. Thank you to everyone who has made the switch!

PESPA Member Event – March 12, 2026
📍 Location: PDC
🕐 Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

We will be holding a PESPA event focused on helping members better use the benefits available to you just for being in the union.

At this event, we will:

Have door prizes when you arrive 🎁

Assist with signing up for auto-pay (optional)

Show you how to create a NEAMB account

Explain how to access Rakuten and other savings programs

Walk through additional union member benefits

The extended time frame (1–5 PM) is intentional so we can be available to as many members as possible. I truly look forward to seeing you there. I will attach a few helpful links now for you to review.

https://www.neamb.com/pages/no-cost-benefits

https://www.neamb.com/products/nea-complimentary-life-insurance

https://www.neamb.com/products/nea-discount-marketplace

Upcoming Meetings
AR Meeting: February 10, 2026 @ 3:00 PM
📍 Student Services Conference Room

PESPA Board Meeting: February 11, 2026 @ 3:45 PM

📍 Student Services Conference Room

PESPA Q&A Meeting: February 12, 2026 @ 4:00 PM
📍 PDC

CALL TO ACTION – NOW IS THE TIME
Decisions about budgets and priorities are happening right now, and the input that matters most is yours. This is your opportunity to influence the direction of our district and ensure employee voices are part of the conversation—not an afterthought. Encourage your co-workers to speak up and make their voices heard as well!

Please take the time to review the budget proposal, reach out to your board member, copy the union, and attend meetings if you’re able. PESPA can only advocate effectively when we clearly understand what our members care about and where concerns exist.

Your voice matters. Use it now—before decisions are finalized.

Thank you for being engaged, informed, and willing to speak up. Your involvement makes a difference.

Regards,

Jessy Nielsen

Communications

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11/12/2025

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11/06/2025

Protect Your Union Membership! Our union gives us a collective voice to advocate for what matters: fair pay, safe working conditions, reasonable workloads, and the resources our students deserve. Together, we’ve made real improvements in our schools and in our daily work. However, anti-education politicians are working to silence working educators by eliminating payroll deduction for union dues. Their goal is to weaken our collective power and our ability to stand up for ourselves and our students.

Switching to Auto-Pay Protects Your Membership! By switching to Auto-Pay, you ensure that your membership stays active—no matter what laws they try to pass. Auto-Pay is:
Quick – takes just a few minutes
Secure – your financial information stays private
Simple – set it up once and you’re done
Convenient – dues are still deducted on payday, and the amount stays the same.

Have the following ready:
1) A credit/debit card or bank account (checking/savings)
2) Your Member ID and zip code. Your Member ID is printed on the back of your NEA Today magazine.
If you need help finding it, contact:
[email protected] or 801-269-9320

Click this link to be taken to the Auto-pay portal

10/24/2025

We are requesting all PESPA members switch to Auto-Pay by November 30, 2025!

10/07/2025

📣 PESPA Members!

Hi everyone!
My name is Jessy Nielsen, and I’m your Communications Director for PESPA. I apologize we are running a little late on this month's Newsletter. We are going to keep it short and sweet I promise!

📖 Share Your Story
We want to hear from YOU!
Why did you choose your role—whether it’s paraeducator, custodian, bus driver, secretary, or something else? What does your job mean to you?
If you’re a grandfathered part-time employee, why have you chosen to remain part-time instead of seeking a full-time, benefit-eligible position?
Your stories are powerful and help us bring real voices into our negotiation discussions.
👉 Share Your Story Here!

📢 Message from PESPA President, Anthony Lugo
Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. Here are some updates for this month.
October, we start to order the Turkey Vouchers. Look out for an email later. We ask for help since we have to stuff 1,000 envelopes.
These will be given out in November.

meetings for the month.
PESPA Board Meeting 8th
Q&A Meeting 9th - link to live stream https://youtube.com/live/mFiQYmHAnAU?feature=share
AR Meeting 14th
HR Meeting 15th

Let me know if you have any questions

- President Lugo

Your voice makes us stronger.
Thank you for being part of the PESPA community. Here's to an amazing school year ahead!
Warm regards,
Jessy Nielsen
Communications Director, PESPA

09/04/2025

📣 PESPA Members!

Here is the link to this months newsletter: September 2025 Newsletter

Hi everyone!
My name is Jessy Nielsen, and I’m your Communications Director for PESPA.

Can you believe we’ve already completed 14 school days? Time really flies when our students and educators are back in action!

📝 We Want to Hear From You!
Deadline Extended: September 15

If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to complete the PESPA Member Concern Survey. This is your chance to tell us your Top 5 concerns that you’d like PESPA to address with Provo City School District this school year.

👉 Click here to complete the Member Concern Survey

📖 Share Your Story
We want to hear from YOU!

Why did you choose your role—whether it’s paraeducator, custodian, bus driver, secretary, or something else? What does your job mean to you?

If you’re a grandfathered part-time employee, why have you chosen to remain part-time instead of seeking a full-time, benefit-eligible position?

Your stories are powerful and help us bring real voices into our negotiation discussions.

👉 Share Your Story Here!

📢 Message from PESPA President, Anthony Lugo
Hello PESPA Members,

If you haven’t already, please complete the survey. Your input shapes our goals and priorities for the year and during negotiations.

We’re also excited to launch our Monthly Member Meetings! While optional, these meetings are a great way to:

Stay informed

Ask questions

Learn how to maximize your union benefits

🗓️ Monthly Meetings @ PDC | 4:00–5:00 PM

September 4

October 2

November 6

December 4

January 6

February 5

March 5
🚫 April – No Meeting
✅ May 7

📌 Ratification Meeting
🗓️ May 13 @ PDC | 4:30–5:30 PM
This is when we vote to ratify the Negotiated Agreement. You can vote online or in person. A Q&A session will be held beforehand so you feel informed and confident.

Thanks for your continued support—let’s make this a fantastic year!

Warmly,
Anthony Lugo
PESPA President

📂 Helpful Resources
Attached to this newsletter:

✅ 2025–2026 Salary Schedule
✅ 2025–2026 Negotiated Agreement

You can also find these anytime at:
🌐 provo-pespa.com

💬 What We’re Working On
🧠 Leadership Planning
President Lugo will soon call our first board meeting to plan out the school year.

📬 Improved Communication
Expect more frequent updates via email, social media, and in-person meetings.

🙋‍♀️ Member Support
We’re here to help—whether you need assistance with a grievance or want a union rep present at a meeting.

🎁 Welcome Back Gift
All PESPA members will receive a welcome back gift! Deliveries will be made throughout the district in the coming weeks. Thank you for all you do!

Your voice makes us stronger.
Thank you for being part of the PESPA community. Here's to an amazing school year ahead!

Warm regards,
Jessy Nielsen
Communications Director, PESPA

08/01/2025

Welcome Back PESPA Members!

My name is Jessy Nielsen, and I’m your Communications Director for PESPA. First off—welcome back! Can you believe it’s already August? I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one.

We’ll keep this newsletter short and sweet, knowing how busy you are getting ready for students to return on August 13.

📌 What’s Inside
📝 Member Survey – Share your top 5 concerns with PESPA

📂 Salary Schedule & Agreement – Links and attachments for 2025‑2026

📢 What’s Ahead – Updates on meetings, communication plans, and support

📋 We Want to Hear From You!
On July 31, you should have received an email from [email protected] with a survey link and this message:

PESPA is gathering input from members to guide our work with Provo City School District this school year.
👉 What are your top 5 concerns you’d like PESPA to address?

We’ll collect and group your responses, then focus on the top 3 priorities as we collaborate with the district.

🔒 This survey is for PESPA members only. All submissions are 100% confidential.
📅 Survey closes August 30, 2025, at midnight.

📂 Helpful Resources
Attached to this email are:
✅ 2025‑2026 Salary Schedule
✅ 2025‑2026 Negotiated Agreement

You can also find these anytime at provo-pespa.com, along with:

A full list of PESPA leadership (Board & ARs)

Easy access to forms and contact info

📢 What We’re Working On
Board Meeting Coming Soon: Anthony Lugo will be calling our first leadership meeting in the next week or so to plan the year.

Better Communication: We’re working on consistent updates via email, social media, and meetings.

Member Support: We want to make it simple for you to reach us—whether you need help with a grievance or just want a union rep present at a meeting.

Welcome back gift: We will be working on a welcome back gift for ALL PESPA members and will let you know in the near future of when to expect this small token of our appreciation!

Welcome back BBQ: August 22,2025 from noon to 1:30pm at the district office courtyard

Your feedback and involvement make PESPA stronger. Thank you for being part of this community—we’re excited for a great year ahead!

— Jessy Nielsen
PESPA Communications Director

https://youtu.be/EosQlTYE_-0

Welcome Back PESPA Members!My name is Jessy Nielsen, and I’m your Communications Director for PESPA. First off—welcome back! Can you believe it’s already Aug...

07/01/2025

July 2025 Newsletter

PESPA members!

I sincerely hope all of you are enjoying your well-deserved summer vacation! I know I certainly have been. My name is Jessy Nielsen, and I am the Communications Director for Provo PESPA. We have decided to have the PESPA newsletter sent out on the first of every month. Some months we may only have a brief update on the union, tips, and tricks to use your union benefits! This newsletter may be a little longer than normal, and I apologize in advance. Let's dive right into it.
Union membership over the last year has increased about 145%. While acknowledging this increase, I have discovered while doing site visits that there are individuals who have signed the paperwork to become a member over the last couple of years, and yet they still are not members. There have been issues with some applications getting lost at the state level of the NEA. If you or someone you know has not received a union member number from [email protected] over the last two months, this means you are not a member according to my list. If this is the case, I encourage you or people you may know to reach out to me at [email protected] so we can fix this. Another increase I would like to highlight is that we had a 325% increase in PESPA members ratifying the negotiated agreement back in May! We did receive feedback that if you did not agree with the agreement or if you had questions, we did not give you a means to ask questions and for us to answer. I will make sure that you can ask questions and get answers before you vote.
I have been scheduling site visits each week with different schools to reach out to new and existing members. Give a chance for existing members to double-check their information and give new members a chance to ask questions/sign up! As part of my commitment to improving communications with you all, we will begin by posting on our social media channels you can find at provo-pespa.com. We have an X account, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Beginning in July, we will be highlighting different benefits and how to access them, tips, and tricks in more detail. Beginning in September, I will be holding a monthly PESPA meeting where if you want to show up and see myself or another member of our board to ask questions, get help signing up for benefits, etc. We want us to be a resource for you! This monthly meeting will be at the same location unless otherwise told in advance and will be on the same day of the month. Times and dates will be announced in August for the entire school year with our first union meeting starting in September. This is not a mandatory meeting. Just another resource for you. We will also schedule our ratification meeting for May of 2026 and give you the exact day and time so if you want to attend, you can plan to attend. I will be broadcasting the ratification meeting so you can join remotely, ask questions via YouTube, and hear our answers live.
Here is the current Leadership of PESPA as follows. I apologize in advance for ruining some names. Anthony Lugo President, Lynell Moore Vice President, Debbie Larsen Secretary, Lisa Pulver Treasurer, Jessy Nielsen Communications, Nancy McGriff Board Member, Kristin Wabel Board Member, Leann Nutig Board Member. Our association representatives are as follows: Grant Brummer Child Nutrition, Jessy Nielsen Custodial, Amber Hundley Maintenance, Spencer Blumel Independence High, Debbie Walker Provo Peaks, Karolyn Davis Provo High, and finally Ashley McCraley Wasatch Elementary. We are currently working on getting representatives at each location to give you someone local you can talk to. AR’s will meet monthly with myself to go over concerns, etc., for each location. Give us a snapshot of where we are at. Believe it or not, we negotiate with Provo City School District all year long.
Finally! How do I access my benefits? You go to Neamb.com to create an account if you have not already. Your union member number should match up with the one I sent out to all of you. One major benefit that I feel you need to sign up for that you get just being a union member for no extra cost is the complimentary life insurance policy. This does not cost anything extra and has an up to $15,000 life insurance policy. See more details for this benefit at www.provo-pespa.com/discount-benefits.
Because it is summer, I want to highlight the benefit of booking your next travel or vacation through the NEA website! I picked a random resort, Westgate Resort. I booked the same rooms for the same dates, etc. Booking through the Westgate Resort website, it would total $283.40 for a two-night stay September 1-3. Booking through the NEA and getting the member discount, it was a total of $222.18. That is a $61.22 difference. The final example I wanted to highlight before I let you go is who wants to go on a Disney Cruise?!? Booking the same stateroom for two adults for July 5 - July 10 to the Caribbean! Booking through Disney's main website, the total was $3132.46. Booking through the NEA and using the travel dollars, the total was $2998.46. That is a $134 savings. You can use your NEA travel dollars for everything except flights. You still get discounts, but you are not able to use your complimentary $500 NEA travel dollars for being a member. This dollar figure renews every year from when you joined the union. Keep in mind this does not roll over year to year. Use it or lose it.
I am excited for the new things we are doing in the union and with us improving communication with all of you! If you ever have a concern, please feel free to reach out to us so we can work together. Until next month, enjoy your well-deserved summer vacation!

Regards,
Jessy Nielsen
Communications for PESPA

05/21/2025

We have finalized the ratification vote on 5/20/2025 for the Negotiate Agreement 25-26. Salary schedule will be sent out in June Newsletter. For regular updates I encourage you to follow PESPA on our website and other social accounts:
www.provo-pespa.com
facebook.com/695279370325740
x.com/ProvoPESPA
instagram.com/provo_pespa
https://www.youtube.com/Provo-PESPA

05/21/2025

Ratification meeting ready to go! I am still learning to take photos, but, I promise we had at least 3 people show up in person! We had MANY vote online! We look forward to the things to come. Results will be released tomorrow 5/21!

05/15/2025

We are sending out a email tonight to all PESPA members to vote on the Negotiated Agreement 2025-2026. Voting will remain open until 4pm Tuesday May 20th. The email to expect this from is [email protected]

On Tuesday, we will be at the PDC from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Please come if you have any questions or want to understand the agreement more. At 4:15, we will count all of the votes.