Connections
Anacortes Education Association                                             June 2007 – Vol. 2, Issue 4

Promoting the cause of public education, by assisting in all statewide activities of the Washington Education Association and by representing AEA members to the public, the school board, the administration, and the profession.

 

Text Box: to SPOTLIGHT: WEA Legislative Efforts The following items spotlight some of the recent and continued efforts of WEA’s legislative team. The group works tirelessly to influence change to the benefit of membership. Attorneys for gainsharing lawsuit seek plan switchers The WEA delegates at this year's Representative Assembly passed a New Business Item that called for a lawsuit against the state if the Legislature repealed members' gainsharing benefits. The Legislature did repeal that benefit and a class action lawsuit is under way. Attorneys are currently seeking individuals (pdf) who switched from Pan 2 to Plan 3 based on a promise of receiving gainsharing benefits. A detailed memo outlines the request. We encourage you to pass this on to members you know that switched plans. Any questions, please direct them to Harriet Strasberg at 360-754-0304. When you take leave don't forget Take the lead While the school year comes to a close it's important to keep in mind that the Take the lead work continues. The goal of finding a more sustainable, dependable way to fund our schools is a year around process. We ask that you encourage members to take the time to engage in one or more of the following actions below. 1. Start talking about simple majority with friends and family. Come November voters will cast their ballots on whether to say YES on 4204 which would mean local school levies could now pass with a 50 percent plus one vote rather than the 60 percent super majority standard that has been in place since the 1940s. Learn more about why a YES vote on 4204 is important. 2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the need for increased funding for public education. We remain 47th in class size, we're still dead last in teacher compensation on the West Coast and our ranking of 42nd in per pupil spending may move slightly based on the latest legislative session, but we're well short of the national average. 3. Sign up to become a guest blogger for Take the lead. It's critical that educator voices get read and heard in multiple ways. TakeTheLeadWashington.org is looking for educators to serve as guest bloggers starting in the fall. E-mail Debra Carnes if interested.

Your Association Leadership

Putting Members First

President – Peter Donaldson, Mt. Erie

President Elect – Carl Dellutri, AHS

Treasurer – Roxanna Moser, Whitney

Secretary – Dawn Greenfield, Island View

Building Reps: AHS – Ron Campbell, Joe Furin, Janet Clark, AMS – Larry Verbano, Karin Cooper, FID. – Patty Johnson, Stephanie Ward, IV – Kecia Fox, Tony Vecchione, Whit. – Roxanna Moser, ME – MJ D’Amelio, Suzy Boyes

Grievance Officer: Scott Burnett

Information

·         NEW WEBSITE -- Bookmark the following web address for a link to our Association Website: We’ve done a tremendous amount of work on the website. In fact, you can find a hyperlinked version of the website available. You can review each section of the agreement by simply clicking on it’s title reference in the Table of Contents

·         http://anacortesea.org/
 

Important Dates

□       June 20th : Last day, ˝ day for students

□       August 29: Mandatory Day (7 hours, no leave provisions)

□       August 30: Mandatory Day (7 hours, no leave provisions)

□       August 31: 181st Day (7 hours, no leave provisions)

□       September 3: Labor Day

□       September 4: First Day of school

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Text Box: President’s Message – As we head into summer, I thought it would be beneficial to share with you a few important informational items and news about your local government AEA. First, I should let you know once again that AEA will host a retirement seminar this fall here in Anacortes. WEA Retired will bring its fantastic crew to the ESD for a two-day event focusing on ALL aspects of teacher retirement. It will start on Friday, October 5 (4-8 p.m.) and carry over to Saturday, October 6 (8-3 p.m.). The event is free to AEA members and will include dinner Friday and lunch on Saturday. There are already 15 teachers signed up (about 10 spots left). Send your request to pdonaldson@asd103.org. Your negotiation team just finished several meetings over the past month or so. We’ve tackled compensation for teaching during a prep/planning period, new TRI form considerations and most importantly, adopting updated Reduction in Force language (RIF). Both sides have looked at language in several neighboring districts and are almost prepared to bring much more equitable and less confusing language to membership for review. Check the front page for updated information on new building reps at AMS and AHS. Also, because Whitney will be down to 2-3 teachers, Roxanna Moser has offered to convey Exec board information to staff there. Make sure to check out our Association’s new website. • http://anacortesea.org/ Thanks to Carl Dellutri and Shannon Gilbert, we’ve made great progress in the last few weeks. All governance documents are available. The contract agreement is linked by each separate section so it’s easy to access the information you need. We will make all Exec board meeting minutes available as well. Still in the works is a “New Member Portal” and discussion page. Take a minute and check it out. All comments welcome. Finally, there are now 21 mandatory hours prior to the start of school. Of that total, 5.5 hours are teacher directed time. You will still need to be on site and leaves do not apply, but you can use that time in your classroom to prepare for the coming year. This total includes 3.5 hours new hours (added to the 2 hours from previous contract). Have a great summer. Take some time for yourself and your family and see you back here in September for another incredible year. Peter Donaldson

Text Box: This Just In … News from WEA – Straight to you Payroll Deduction is coming – Next year you will once again be able to donate your WEA-PAC contribution directly through payroll deduction. No more sending in checks or giving credit card information. Once you sign up, you can keep your contribution going each year without having to sign up every fall. WEA-PAC is the political action arm of WEA. The PAC uses your donation dollars to support candidates and issues that are important to educators, such as increasing the cost of living allowance (COLA) and getting the simple majority rule to become law. These are separate funds from dues dollars. Please think about contributing to the PAC next fall. The minimum donation is less that $2/month. Great Opportunity -- Toyota offers study visits to Japan, the Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica to full-time classroom teachers (grades 7-12, all subjects) in the 2007-2008 school year. Each program will offer country-specific themes to help educators expand their professional skills, increase cultural awareness, and enhance their understanding of environmental issues around the world. Deadline is Sept. 7; details online

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making WEA Work for You

WEA – PO Box 9100, Federal Way, WA 98003-9100,

1-800-622-3393, www.washingtonea.org

WEA is an incredible resource. If you haven’t visited the website recently, you should. In particular, check out the member/services tab.

4th Corner Uniserv Council – 1800 James St, Bellingham, WA 98225-4623 (360) 733-3344