NEA-Alaska ESP of the year 2007 – Richie Caffroy

Richie Caffroy doesn’t believe in sitting around waiting for things to happen. He makes them happen. Last year when the Mat-Su School District outsourced the custodians and laid off more than 100 education support professionals, Richie took notice. And he took action.

His goal: to be pro-active in getting ready to fight a similar move by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

Richie is head custodian at Homer High School and a long time leader in KPESA as well as NEA-Alaska. He has served on the PACE Committee, and on the KPESA bargaining team. He serves as South Peninsula Rights Chair and as South Peninsula Area Rep. He represents the Kenai on the NEA-Alaska Board of Directors, where he sits on the budget committee and is active in many other areas for both his local and state associations.

On top of these many KPESA commitments, Richie took up the challenge posed by Mat-Su’s outsourcing. He attended a “How to Beat Privatization” seminar sponsored by NEA. He formed the Local Offense Committee. He set up meetings, worked up agendas, made flyers, and organized his fellow ESPs into key committees: School Board Watch, Round Table (research on private contracting companies), compiled data, and produced mail-outs.

And he set up informational meetings at schools around the district to keep employees informed about what to watch for.

All of this was done on his own time. Richie was also instrumental in getting language in KPESA’s contract that if the district decides to contract out certain groups of employees, then KPESA will be notified beforehand. The idea is that the employees can save their jobs by working out ways to cut costs, thereby forestalling any outsourcing efforts.

Richie moved to Alaska in 1976 and started work at Homer High in 1983. Three years later he became head custodian. He takes pride in his work there and cares deeply about the school, its cleanliness, security, liability issues, and the safety of the students and staff. He is well respected at the high school and in the community.

Richie and his wife, Tina, have two sons. His oldest is 22 and has served in Iraq for two terms. Their youngest son is 21 and works as a carpenter in Anchorage. Richie and Tina themselves built their first home in Anchor Point. They have been foster parents for many years, taking in special needs children. In the last seven years he and Tina have operated an assisted living facility, opening their home for older adults with disabilities.

With all these commitments, Richie always seems to have time to take time for others and help out wherever he can.