Shoreline Education Association

President's Report - 10/20/10

2010-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

In this issue:

Up Top: SESPA reaches TA!
Know Your Contract: Waiver Days
Education News: Common Core Standards forum 10/25
Opportunities for Involvement: Professional Development Committee

SESPA and the Shoreline School District Have Reached a Tentative Agreement:
The last two days of bargaining have been fruitful and an agreement has been reached. Details will be shared with SESPA members at their General Membership meeting October 28 when they vote on ratification.
I’ve been asked to thank all of the SEA members who supported SESPA during this bargain. Your support was invaluable to the SESPA members and their bargaining team during this prolonged negotiation.

Know Your Contract:
Section 16.5 of the SEA contract stipulates that the District must apply for a waiver of 5 instructional days from the state. It also states that the joint SEA-District Calendar Committee “…shall study and discuss the feasibility of release periods as an alternative to the waiver of instructional days for future school years.”
As the Calendar Committee begins this work in earnest I feel it’s important to share some information with you.
The ‘typical’ SEA member now works 187 days:
180 day base contract – In general these are the state-funded days
6 Supplemental days paid for as part of the TRI contract
1 IDEA Stimulus day – paid separately in one lump sum (funded by federal money)
Our current model has us meeting with students 175 of the 180 days of our base contract, because we have been granted a waiver by the state. The District is currently in the process of reapplying for a 3 year waiver for 5 days a year.
There are two thresholds that must be met in order to satisfy state requirements: 180 days and a certain amount of ‘seat time’ for the entire year. Even though we have been granted waivers of 5 days in the past our students have still had to spend the same total amount of time in class, it just been spread among fewer days.
The Calendar Committee is charged with exploring the option of not using waiver days, but instead meeting with students for the full 180 days and then having shorter, more frequent release time throughout the year. We are in the process of drafting a brief survey and you can expect to see in the next few weeks.
A change away from waiver days would not impact the additional 6 work days that are funded locally.
We will be sharing draft surveys at the SEA Building Rep Retreat this Thursday, so if you have questions please feel free to e-mail me or ask your rep.

Your contract online: http://www.shorelineschools.org/departments/hr/contracts/sea_contract/
Code of Professional Conduct: http://www.k12.wa.us/ProfPractices/CodeConduct.aspx

Education News:
Next Monday, October 25, there will be a public forum about Washington’s adoption of Common Core State Standards at the Shoreline Center. OSPI will be sharing information about how the standards were formed and how they will bolster college readiness. The forum runs from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Mount Rainier Room. For more information follow this link to a page on the Shoreline School District’s website.

Opportunity for Involvement:
We need 6 members to participate in the District Professional Development Committee. This 12 person joint committee meets 3 times throughout the year and it is important that we have representation from a variety of levels. Here is the charge of the committee from 29.3.1 of the SEA contract:
A District Professional Development Committee shall be established for the purpose of providing the District with advice as to staff development needs for the conduct of the educational program.

If you’re interested let me know!

President's Report - 9/8/10

2010-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

In this issue…

Up Top: How can we support SESPA?

Know Your Contract: Personal Professional Growth Cycle

Education News: Study Techniques

How can we support SESPA?

The easiest way to support our SESPA colleagues is to let the School Board know how important they are to us. Please take the time to attend an upcoming meeting, 7:00 on the 13^th and the 20^th, as a show of support. Comments from SEA members to the board about how much SESPA members contribute to our classrooms, schools, and students are greatly appreciated.

Information about other support activities will be coming over the next few days and weeks. If you have not been receiving Advocacy Alerts from me at your personal e-mail address please share it with me and I will add you to the list.

Know Your Contract

Are you beginning the Personal Profession Growth Cycle? If so make sure that you attend the goal development and evaluations strategies training session on Tuesday, September 21 from 4:00-5:00pm or 6:30-7:30pm in the Ballinger Room at the SLC. Participants in Years 2, 3 and 4 do not need to attend this training.

To register for Year 1, please complete the Request to Participate Form that is attached, have it initialed by your building principal and return to Denise Hinze in HR by September 17, 2010. Forms must be received by the 17th in order to be eligible to participate and EVERY TEACHER ENTERING YEAR 1 must attend the training in order to participate in the PPG cycle.

If you have any questions about PPG, please review Article 26: Evaluation of the 2009-2011 SEA contract, contact your building principal, or Anzara Miller, Instructional Specialist in Professional Development.

Your contract online: http://www.shorelineschools.org/departments/hr/contracts/sea_contract/

Code of Professional Conduct: http://www.k12.wa.us/ProfPractices/CodeConduct.aspx

Education News

Cognitive research has shown that many time-honored study habits are not actually the most affective. Experiments have shown that studying multiple related skills or topics helps retention more than focusing on a single thing. Similarly changing study venues also improves retention. For more information check out the article on the NY Times website (it includes links to relevant research).

The Ferndale Education Association voted overwhelmingly to strike as their negotiations with the Ferndale School District reached impasse. A major stumbling block in negotiations is the lack of planning time available to elementary teachers. Ferndale’s elementary teachers have only 120 minutes of planning time during the student day each week. For more information visit www.ferndaleea.org.

Shoreline Classrooms

As I make my way out on building visits over the next few weeks I would like to visit classrooms as well. I believe seeing you in your ‘native environment’ will make me better at representing you and your best interests. If you’d like to have me visit please get back to me with times and dates that work for you and we’ll get something scheduled.

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 9/13/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 9/16/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday 9/20/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Representative Council Meeting: Tuesday, 9/30/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Representative Council Retreat: Thursday, 10/21/10, TBD, Shoreline Room, SLC

Shoreline Benefits Open Enrollment Deadline: October 8th!

For more information regarding YOUR Association, visit:

http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shoreline-Education-Association/158070560959?ref=ts

www.weacascade.org

http://www.washingtonea.org

http://www.nea.org

SEA Office Contacts:

Eric Scaia, SEA President ---- 425-486-7101 ext. 113

Krista Tenney, Assistant to the President ---- 425-486-7101 ext. 114

Lyn Sherry, WEA UniServ Representative ---- 425-486-7101 ext. 102

Shoreline Education Association & Cascade UniServ Council Offices:
18704 Bothell Way NE Suite 101

Bothell, WA 98011

FAX: 425-486-7154

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

President's Report - 8/31/10

2010-08-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

In this issue…

Up Top: What is happening in the SESPA bargain?

Shoreline Classrooms: Caribbean Dancing

What I learned at the board meeting: District Budget

Know Your Contract: Moving up the salary scale, Tuition reimbursement

Education News: Test Scores and Evaluation

What is happening in the SESPA bargain?

I’ve asked Donna Lurie share what is happening in the SESPA bargain, who it impacts, and why you should care. Here you go:

The SESPA and District Bargaining Teams return to the bargaining table on August 31. SESPA’s existing Contract expires on August 31. SESPA represents paraeducators, office staff, security, nurses, behavior techs, crossing guards, student supervisors, and library techs. One of the sticking points continues to be drastic cuts to SESPA work years of 5-24 days. Cuts in SESPA work years mean that more duties will fall to certificated staff. Support in libraries, health rooms, security, and behavior management will be diminished. We may have to close libraries for the first two weeks and last two weeks of school. Such a closure will impact release time and planning time for classroom teachers. Nurses may not be able to get every student with serious health issues ready to start school on the first day. Security will not be able to do any training or comparison with surrounding districts on trends or crime patterns. Behavior techs may not have behavior plans ready for the start of school and will have reduced time to meet with special education teams. If their daily hours are flexed, then they have less time with students. The District’s proposed work year cuts amount to $66,000 – about .07 percent of the District’s budget.

Another sticking point is compensation for SESPA employees. A paraeducator makes an average salary of $16,000-$18,000 per year. That’s not a lot to support a family. More than half of SESPA members work 2 or 3 other jobs to make ends meet. SESPA employees are pretty steamed that administrative groups gave themselves pay raises while telling SESPA that the District feels they are paid enough. Insurance coverage is another issue in the bargain.

Meaningful, accessible and paid professional development is a third major area. SESPA members are unwilling to give up existing professional development stipends for promises of a better program without some guarantees.

Please wear black to symbolize “Shoreline Schools are Back in Black”. Put your car sign in your car window. Talk to a SESPA colleague about other bargaining support activities that are taking place this week.

-Donna Lurie

Shoreline Classrooms

Over the last 13 years Pamela Willoughby has written over $30,000 worth of grants to bring unique opportunities to Shoreline students. Most recently she was awarded a grant that brought Caribbean dance to the students of Meridian Park:

Is there something happening in your classroom or school that you’re especially proud of? Send me a message (and pictures if you want) describing the cool things happening in Shoreline schools and I’ll try to include it in an upcoming President’s Report.

What I learned at the Board Meeting

Budget

· Board policy dictates a 4-5% unreserved ending fund balance. The adopted budget for 2010-11 exceeds this goal, even without inclusion of unassigned carryover from 2009-10.

· The 2010-11 budget was adopted August 30, but public budget workshops have not yet been scheduled. They were postponed because the impact of the SESPA bargain was unclear.

· The board is proud that funds remained in the budget to maintain class sizes in the 4^th grade despite state cuts for that grade level. I encourage you to let them know if you are not seeing the impact of this spending. The next board meeting is September 13^th.

The District’s budget information can be found on their website.

Know Your Contract

Because deadlines are fast approaching I’m repeating last week’s information. If you are pursuing professional certification, please take the time to review 58.7 and utilize this resource.

Educational Adjustments (Section 56.3): In order to count toward advancement on the 10-11 salary schedule, documentation of additional Clock Hours/Credits are due to Patti Weidkamp in Human Resources by September 15. If you have questions, please contact her by email or at 206-393-4233.

TRI & Tuition Reimbursement (Section 58.7): Our CBA allows employees to choose to convert a portion of their TRI (Time, Responsibility, and Incentive) contract into an individual tuition reimbursement fund. In order to do this, the appropriate paperwork needs to be filed by October 1^st. If you are interested in taking advantage of this provision, contact Patti Weidkamp in Human Resources (206-393-4233).

Your contract online: http://www.shorelineschools.org/departments/hr/contracts/sea_contract/

Code of Professional Conduct: http://www.k12.wa.us/ProfPractices/CodeConduct.aspx

Education News

A study released earlier this week by the Economic Policy Institute cautions against reliance on test scores in teacher evaluations. Visit EPI’s website for the study itself, or check out this Washington Post blog for highlights and commentary.

On a similar note, I highly recommend Diane Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Donna Lurie was kind enough to provide copies for an Executive Board book club over the summer and it is a very well written account of the impacts of recent education reform efforts on schools. Ms. Ravitch does an excellent job of voicing the concerns that those of us who work in schools have about the testing, choice, and accountability movements. Here are links to a review from NPR and the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 9/13/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 9/16/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Representative Council Meeting: Tuesday, 9/30/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Representative Council Retreat: Thursday, 10/21/10, TBD, Shoreline Room, SLC

Shoreline Benefits Open Enrollment Deadline: October 8th!

For more information regarding YOUR Association, visit:

http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shoreline-Education-Association/158070560959?ref=ts

www.weacascade.org

http://www.washingtonea.org

http://www.nea.org

President's Report - 8/25/10

2010-08-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

In this issue….

Welcome: Who is Eric and what happened to Elizabeth?

Education News: SESPA Update, Tuition

Your Membership: 2009-10 SEA Meeting Schedule

Know Your Contract: New Contract Info

On a Personal Note: Attending School Board Meetings

Welcome Back

I hope that you all had enjoyable and relaxing breaks. As Elizabeth told you in her e-mail last month she has moved on to a UniServ position in the Rainier council. She was very fortunate to be selected for a position so quickly, which is a testament to the outstanding work that she did as SEA President. For personal reasons Amanda Findley, our newly elected vice president, was unable to step in as President. At an Exec Board meeting, it was decided to appoint me as the interim president for this year. Exec Board felt that there was not time to hold an election without causing significant disruption. Exec Board and Rep Council will discuss the details of an election for the next term.

Because I do not know many of you, it is only fair to tell you about me. For the last 9 years I have taught math at Shorewood. I’ve also been a pole vault coach, class advisor, department chair, homecoming dance coordinator, Knowledge Bowl coach, Math Team coach, webmaster, department chair, and RtI coach. I began as a Building Representative and Exec Board member off and on since 2002. Prior to arriving at Shorewood I graduated from the University of Oklahoma and worked such fascinating summer jobs as math textbook editor and corn detassler.

I am very excited to serve as President. It is a unique opportunity to grow and learn while working to support the amazing education you provide for Shoreline students. I look forward to meeting and working with you.

Education News

Is there something happening in your classroom, or in your school, that you’re especially proud of? Send me a message (and pictures if you want) describing the cool things happening in Shoreline schools and I’ll try to include it in an upcoming President’s Report.

The Shoreline Educational Support Professionals bargaining team met with the district’s bargaining team and a mediator for a whopping 18 hours from Saturday morning to 4:00 AM Sunday morning. They were told that the next time the mediator and district bargainers could meet with them was September 10. After a strong showing of SESPA and SEA members at Monday’s Board meeting, the District and SESPA bargaining teams will meet again on August 27. For more information about their bargain visit http://sespaunion.blogspot.com/

Online Education: In 2009 the state legislature gave school districts the deadline of August 31,2010 to adopt a policy regarding online learning programs. At Monday’s School Board meeting the Shoreline School Board received a first reading of Board Policy #2024, which directs the superintendent or designee to provide information about online learning options to parents, students, and staff. During follow up questions from the Board, it was stated that the Program Alignment and Coherence Team (PACT) will be discussing how online credits may or may not be used towards graduation.

The Shoreline School District is projecting an unreserved carryover of $6 million for the 2009-10 school year. This is in addition to over $4.2 million in reserved carryover for a total ending fund balance of $10.3 million.

Your Membership

Here are the dates for this year’s SEA Representative Council and SEA Executive Board meetings. All meetings are scheduled in the Alumni Room, from 4:15-6:00 PM, unless otherwise noted. SEA members who are not SEA Building Reps are welcome to attend Rep. Council meetings as a non-voting observer. (Observers should please contact Krista Tenney, SEA Administrative Assistant, in advance, so that we can verify your membership status prior to the meeting.)

Executive Board 9/16/2010

Representative Council 9/30/2010

Executive Board 10/7/2010

Representative Council Retreat 10/21/2010 (Time TBD)

Executive Board 11/4/2010

Representative Council 11/18/2010

Joint Exec. Board/Rep. Council 12/16/2010 (3:45-6:00 PM)

Executive Board 1/6/2011

Representative Council 1/27/2011

Executive Board 2/3/2011

Representative Council 2/17/2011

Executive Board 3/3/2011

Representative Council 3/17/2011

Executive Board 4/7/2011

Representative Council 4/14/2011

Executive Board 5/5/2011

Representative Council 5/19/2011

Joint Exec. Board/Rep. Council 6/2/2011

Know Your Contract

Your contract online: http://www.shorelineschools.org/departments/hr/contracts/sea_contract/

Code of Professional Conduct: http://www.k12.wa.us/ProfPractices/CodeConduct.aspx

On a Personal Note…Our SESPA colleagues are in the middle of a very difficult bargain. They are fighting for conditions that allow them to do their jobs effectively and to be paid respectable wages. Please take the time to thank them for all they do to support us and our students. If you’re interested in additional ways to support them please check their blog at: http://sespaunion.blogspot.com/ Your support is very valuable to them. We will also be updating the SEA Facebook page with upcoming events. ---Eric

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 8/30/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 9/16/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Representative Council Meeting: Tuesday, 9/30/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Representative Council Retreat: Thursday, 10/21/10, TBD, Shoreline Room, SLC

Shoreline Benefits Open Enrollment Deadline: October 8th!

For more information regarding YOUR Association, visit:

http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shoreline-Education-Association/158070560959?ref=ts

www.weacascade.org

http://www.washingtonea.org

http://www.nea.org

SEA President's Report 6.15.10

2010-06-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

June 15, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: I-1098 Reminder, Supporting Our SESPA Colleagues

Your Membership: Thanking SEA Leaders

Know Your Contract: Reminders & Summer Contact Information

On a Personal Note: Thanks and Enjoy the Summer!

Education News

** As you may recall, at our June General Membership meeting, SEA members voted to adopt a resolution of support for Initiative 1098, which has been filed by a coalition of labor, business, and community leaders – including Bill Gates, Sr. - to provide middle class tax-cuts and dedicated funding for education and health care in Washington State through a high end income tax. At that meeting, some of you took petitions to help gather signatures to get this measure on the ballot. If you have I-1098 petitions with signatures on them, and would like us to get them turned in to the campaign for you, please contact Elizabeth Beck or Krista Tenney before Friday (425-486-7101), and we would be happy to arrange to pick them up. Remember to email or call on non-contract time, or during your duty free lunch, using your home email address or personal/cell phone.

** Last week’s SEA President’s Report included information about potential cuts to SESPA classified staffing that the District Administrative Bargaining Team has proposed during the course of recent SESPA negotiations. SESPA has four days of bargaining scheduled after school gets out, so now is the time to show our support for the amazingly important work that our colleagues do, and our opposition to the proposed cuts, which would impact students - and our workload, too!

Please attend the June 21st school board meeting at 7:00 PM at the Shoreline Center to send a message to board members that we believe all of our employees should be valued, respected, and paid living wages. In addition, please check your home email today for more information about ways that you can help support SESPA’s efforts to prevent further cuts to student services and support. If you have not shared your home email address with SEA, please send it to Krista Tenney as soon as possible, so we can add you to our distribution lists. You can also check the SESPA blog for more information: http://www.sespaunion.blogspot.com. Thanks – I know it is an incredibly hectic time of year, so everything you can to do help is appreciated!

Your Membership

Please join me in thanking our dedicated SEA leaders, including the 2009-10:

Representative Council

Briarcrest: Cate Simmers

Brookside: Michelle Ramey, Ken Goree

Echo Lake: Karen Anderson

Highland Terrace: Frank Kleyn, Dennis Griner

Home Ed. Exchange: Ron Jones

Lake Forest Park: Tim Nelson, Heather Stipulkosky

Meridian Park: Jenny Hillger, Annie Saran, Sarah Soroos, Gretchen Whitney

Parkwood: Chris Lirhus, Bethany Ibach

Ridgecrest: Glenda Jablinske, Teresa Feaster

Room Nine Community School: Melissa Walsh

Syre: Trina Shaw, Carrie Swackhamer

TIS/TOSA/SLC: Sue McAllister

Einstein: Kim Pesik, Pat Valle, Lauren Lochner

Kellogg: Liz Hebgen, Bill McMurray

Shorecrest: Jeanette Derry, Britt Harris, Kate Pankiewicz

Shorewood: Veronica Cook, Alisan Giesy, Roger Nelson

Executive Board

Elizabeth Beck (SEA) – SEA President

Liz Travis (BKS) – SEA Vice-President & Bargaining Chair

Michelle Ramey (BKS) – SEA Secretary

Liz Hebgen (FK) & Jodi Steele (MP) – Nominations & Elections Co-Chairs

Veronica Cook (SW) – Legislative/WEA-PAC Chair

Heather Stipulkosky (LFP) – Bargaining Support Team Chair

Eric Scaia (SW) – Member-at-Large

Pat Valle (AE) – Member-at-Large

Dennis Griner (HT) – SEA Building Rep-at-Large

Bargaining Team

Liz Travis (BKS)

Kevin Rodgers (BKS)

Amanda Findley (PW)

Tim Nelson (LFP)

Dani Pratt (FK)

Roger Nelson (SW)

Elizabeth Beck (SEA)

Donna Lurie (WEA)

Know Your Contract

** A couple of reminders….

- Personal Leave cashout forms are due to Payroll by June 18.

- Collegial time forms (for up to eight hours of collegial work, paid at per diem, pro-rated for FTE) for the 2009-10 school year are due by June 30.

- 2010-11 contracts are in your buildings; please make sure to sign yours if you are returning to Shoreline next year. Be sure to check the FTE and experience level noted on your contract. Contact Patti Weidkamp in Human Resources if you believe there is an error in either of those two areas, so that she can issue you a correct version to sign!

** Accessing/contacting SEA over the summer….

- Our CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement or Contract) is available online for you to access at any time.

- The SEA News site will be updated periodically over the summer. More frequent updates will be posted on the Shoreline EA Facebook and Twitter pages.

- The SEA Office will be closed for the summer. Donna, Elizabeth and Krista will check email and voicemail periodically; please just be patient in awaiting a reply.

- Please continue to check your home email during the summer for Advocacy Alerts and/or information related to SESPA negotiations.

On a Personal Note… SEA members, I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for the work that you do, for the incredible service and dedication you provide to our community, and for the opinions and insight you share with me and other SEA leaders, so that we can represent your interests in discussions with District administrators, community members, and our School Board. You are amazing educators and amazing people, and I am so honored to be able to serve in this position and work on your behalf. Enjoy a much-deserved summer break, spending time with friends and family, relaxing and rejuvenating. See you in August, if not before! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 6/21/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Advocacy Alert - Supporting Our SESPA Colleagues

2010-06-15T14:51:00.001-07:00

SEA Advocacy Alert -- June 15, 2010

Topic: Supporting Our SESPA Colleagues - How Can You Help?

Dear SEA Members,

As you know, during SESPA’s recent bargaining sessions, District administration has proposed significant cuts to classified staffing – in particular, to nurses, security monitors, library techs, and behavior techs. These cuts would reduce services to students and have great potential to impact our workloads, as well. It is hard to understand why cuts are being proposed at all when Shoreline’s total ending fund balance is projected to be anywhere from $8 million (District estimate) to $11.7 million (WEA estimate) by the end of the year -- and when the Shoreline School Board recently approved salary increases for administrators, including a $8,276 raise for Sue Walker and a $10,000 bonus for Marcia Harris. Check out this FAQ document for more details.

Our SESPA colleagues need our help to engage community support and show staff and community opposition to these proposed cuts. Here are two things that you can do:

Ø Attend the Shoreline School Board meeting on Monday, June 21 at 7:00 PM. If you are willing to speak at the microphone, that’s great, although simply attending is a powerful way to show your support. School Board members may be unaware of how much support we receive from classified staff and the positive impact this has on student achievement; it’s important that they hear from you about this!

Ø Help your SESPA colleagues distribute these Bait & Switch flyers in your school’s neighborhood during the coming week. SESPA has four more bargaining sessions scheduled in June after school is out, so time is of the essence. Details about the logistics of this effort are being decided at the building level, so you can ask a SESPA or SEA Rep for details. (You should also feel free to share this information, including the flyer, with friends, family, and neighbors – anyone in the Shoreline or Lake Forest Park community who cares about our schools.)

I know this is an incredibly busy time of year, but there are critical support services at stake, so everything you can do to help is greatly appreciated. There may be additional opportunities available later this summer to help our SESPA colleagues, so please continue to check your home email for updates and alerts. Thanks for all you do!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Beck

President, Shoreline Education Association

SEA President's Report 6.8.10

2010-06-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

June 8, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Cascade Update, SESPA Negotiations, WEA Night at the Mariners

Your Membership: WEA RA Reflections

Know Your Contract: Personal Leave Cashout & Collegial Time Form

On a Personal Note: Staying in Touch

Education News

** The latest issue of The Cascade Update is now online! Featured articles include highlights from WEA RA, information about the new WEA ProTeach Jump Start program, and the details you need to support the WEA Children's Fund by joining colleagues for WEA night at the Mariners.

** Many thanks to the SEA members who attended and/or spoke at last night’s Shoreline School Board meeting in support of our SESPA colleagues. During SESPA’s recent bargaining sessions, District administration has proposed substantial cuts to classified staffing – in particular, to nurses, security monitors, library techs, and behavior techs. While the cuts proposed are to non-student days and/or time (which District administration claims are “excess” and so eliminating them will not change the “Shoreline model” of support), we know that the work educators do on non-student time enables us to spend our student contact time focused on … you guessed it – students!

Can you imagine not having planning time and non-student days to plan, grade, fill out paperwork, read and respond to email, etc? So, we must assume the tasks that these classified staff do on their non-student days would either: 1) not be done – which impacts students, 2) be done during student time instead of interacting with and supporting students – which impacts students, 3) be done by certificated staff instead – which impacts both SEA members and students, as this would take us away from student contact and/or other tasks that we have to accomplish already during our non-student time. None of these are good options for kids, and it is hard to understand why cuts are being proposed at all when Shoreline’s total ending fund balance is projected to be anywhere from $8 million (District estimate) to $11.7 million (WEA estimate) by the end of the year.

Additionally, it is disappointing that the school board approved salary increases for both Sue Walker and Marcia Harris last night, at a time when administrators are proposing cuts for SESPA employees, many of whom already do not make a living wage and are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. The next school board meeting is June 21 at 7:00 PM; please mark your calendars to attend if you will be in town. I will keep you posted on developments in next week’s Report.

** Have fun with friends, family, and colleagues -- and help a worthy cause -- by participating in WEA Night with the Mariners. Bring your friends and family to Safeco Field on Tuesday, August 3rd and watch the Mariners take on the Texas Rangers! WEA members get a reduced ticket price AND proceeds benefit the WEA Children’s Fund.

Reduced rate for WEA members:

View Reserve Seats are $15 (normally $20) and $7 per ticket goes to the Children’s Fund

Field Seats are $35 (normally $45) and $10 per ticket goes to the Children’s Fund

The ordering deadline is Wednesday, June 30th. To order, log on to www.mariners.com/WEA, enter password WEA, select the number of tickets you want, and pay online. If you want to order more than 25 tickets, please call Liz McCloskey at 206-346-4519 or email emccloskey@mariners.com.

Your Membership

Here are reflections from some of this year’s WEA RA delegates about their experiences in Spokane at the 2010 Representative Assembly.

The best highlight of RA for me was getting to sit in on a press conference where Bill Gates Sr. spoke about I-1098. It was very busy weekend filled with great speeches and interesting new business items from around the state. As a new delegate I was extremely excited to have been able to go, and I look forward to going next year too. – Michelle Ramey, Brookside

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know educators from our district who work in different buildings. It was interesting to me to hear the concerns presented by districts in geographical areas away from the greater Puget Sound area. The guest speakers were dynamic and enthusiastic. – Roger Nelson, Shorewood

WEA RA was a very eye-opening experience for me. I learned a tremendous amount about my home state and the divisions in thought that are present in the teaching community. I learned more about how the issues we are contemplating often have unintended consequences that I might never have thought of. The other thing that struck me was the history and compassion shown at every turn in the three days. There were clearly things that have been done every year and people look forward to and expect. The pleas, greeted with good humor, to come and spend money in the name of the WEA Children's Fund were heartfelt and wonderful, particularly coming from a body that routinely spends its money on children to complete its assigned job. I came away proud to be a part of this body of caring professionals. Our delegation, of course, was a fun-loving, committed bunch who voted with gusto, and celebrated together. Again, I was proud to be a part! – Alisan Giesy, Shorewood

Know Your Contract

A couple of reminders….

**Personal Leave cashout forms are due to Payroll by June 18. You received an email from Gayle Fletcher last week with the form attached. If you are planning to change your FTE next year, please take a moment to read this archived information about Personal Leave; then if you have questions about your own leave balance and how a change in your FTE may affect it, please contact Elizabeth or Donna at the SEA Office, 425-486-7101.

**Collegial time forms (for up to eight hours of collegial work, paid at per diem, pro-rated for FTE) for the 2009-10 school year are due by June 30. Your office manager has copies of the form, and I anticipate Patti Weidkamp may send it out electronically later this week, also.

On a Personal Note… Summer will be here in just a few days (well, at least in terms of the calendar, anyway – we’ll see if the weather follows suit), and I want to remind you of the ways you can keep in touch with SEA and other education-related news and events over the summer. While the SEA Office does close during the summer, Donna and I will check email and voicemail periodically; please just be patient in awaiting a reply. For me, at least, email will be the best way to get in touch. If SESPA needs our support for bargaining, I will send out Advocacy Alerts, so please keep an eye on your home email inbox. However, probably the best way to keep track of association news and other education issues over the summer is to follow Shoreline EA on Facebook and/or Twitter. For those of you not yet (and yes, I did say ‘yet’ J) using social media, I will also add occasional posts to the SEA News site. This is poised to be an eventful summer, and it should be interesting to keep track of the NEA Rep. Assembly, SESPA negotiations, and the reauthorization of ESEA (currently known as NCLB) in Washington, D.C. Hope to see you online! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 6/21/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 6.2.10

2010-06-02T11:41:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

June 2, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Retirement Celebration, General Membership Meeting Recap, NEWS Update

Your Membership: Special Education Boot Camp

Know Your Contract: Evaluation Reminder, Certificate Expiration Date Approaching

On a Personal Note: IMPORTANT - Support SESPA on June 7!

Education News

** Please join us on June 7, 5:30 pm in the Shoreline Room for this year’s Retirement Celebration. We will honor 13 staff members who have given a combined 320 years of service to public education in the Shoreline School District! Hope to see you there.

** Here is a brief update from last Thursday’s SEA General Membership meeting. Barb Cruz, SESPA Co-President, spoke to us about SESPA’s Living Wage campaign and their contract negotiations, which began on May 27. (Please see the On a Personal Note section below for an update on this topic – including some of the proposed cuts that would impact students and SEA members!) Then, SEA members ratified the Tentative Agreement on Calendar, which included a full calendar for the 2010-11 school year, as well as several key dates for 2011-12. The Shoreline School Board is scheduled to vote on the agreement on June 7, at which point it will become official. You can view the agreement here, and an outline of next year’s calendar is also posted on the Shoreline Schools website. We also approved a revised version of the SEA Constitution and Bylaws, which will be distributed to SEA Building Reps at the start of next year, if not before. The revisions bring our bylaws into alignment with current local practice and WEA guidelines. Finally, SEA members voted to adopt a resolution of support for Initiative 1098. You can read the resolution here, and more information is available on the SEA News site. (Remember that this topic is politically-related, though, so if you want to learn more, please do so on non-contract time.) Many thanks to those of you who attended the meeting!

** As you may be aware, Washington State decided to appeal the NEWS lawsuit. The Network for Excellence in Washington Schools, of which the Shoreline School District and SEA are members, was a plaintiff in this past year’s school funding court case. Judge John Erlick ruled in our favor and found that the state is violating its constitutional duty to fully fund public education. (More details are available on the NEWS website and you can read a summary of the decision here.) We have received updated word that the Washington State Supreme Court will likely hear the State's appeal of the decision sometime this fall. Stay tuned!

Your Membership

Registration is now open for WEA’s 2010 Special Education Boot Camps. Three of these training sessions, presented by the Washington Education Association Special Education Cadre, will be held this summer across the state.

For a registration fee of $250, participants will receive five days of intense work on special education issues as well as 30 clock hour credits. The camp will provide hands-on training emphasizing the responsibilities of all educators working with students with disabilities. Certificated and classified personnel, general and special educators, parents, administrators and community agency personnel are all encouraged to attend. Get a glimpse of the conference agenda here. Boot Camp will be held on the following dates and locations:

June 21-25 in Federal Way
Washington Education Association
32032 Weyerhaeuser Way S.
Federal Way, WA 98001
Register for this training here.

July 12-16 in Spokane
Spokane ESD 101
4202 S. Regal St.
Spokane, WA 99223
Register for this training here.

Aug. 2-6 in Leavenworth
Icicle Village Inn Resort
505 Highway 2
Leavenworth, WA 98826
Register for this session here.

Space is limited so register for a session today. For more information, please contact Janie Moxley at 253-765-7074 (or toll-free 800-622-3393, Ext. 7074).

Know Your Contract

** Just a reminder that yesterday, June 1st, was the “due date” for annual evaluations. This means you should have either: 1) received a written summary evaluation from your principal/assistant principal, or 2) met with your supervising administrator to discuss progress toward PPG plan goals. If you have questions or concerns, or have not received your evaluation yet, please contact Donna or Elizabeth at the SEA office.

** Remember that June 30 is the expiration date for Washington State teaching certificates. If you hold a certificate that requires renewal, be sure to check to see when yours expires and plan accordingly. If you are due to renew your certificate this year, more information about the process is available online from OSPI and Puget Sound ESD, as well as in a previous issue of the SEA President’s Report. Don’t delay -- June 30 will be here before we know it!

On a Personal Note… Have you and your students been impacted by the decreasing amounts of SESPA/classified staff support in recent years? Are you concerned about more potential losses in the future? Then PLEASE come to the June 7 Shoreline School Board meeting to share your concerns with board members. Despite losses of over 100 SESPA positions in the past few years, and a projected ending fund balance of well over ten percent of budgeted expenditures, District administration is proposing substantial cuts to SESPA staffing for next year. This SESPA Bargaining Update has details, but the proposed reductions include at least nine fewer work days for nurses and security monitors, five fewer work days for behavior techs and elementary library techs, and thirty (yes, that’s 30!) fewer work days for secondary library techs. In addition to the impact these cuts would have on the SESPA members involved, they would directly affect our students and/or our own workloads. At a time when Shoreline’s budget is healthy, and has continued to grow despite funding cuts at the state level, why would they want to make further cuts to student support? I hope you will join me at the School Board meeting on June 7 at 7:00 PM to support our SESPA colleagues as they speak out against these proposed District take-backs in their negotiations. Thanks for all you do! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Exec Board/Rep Council Meeting: Thursday, 6/3/10, 3:45 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 6/7/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

General Membership Meeting Update

2010-05-28T11:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday, Everyone,

Many thanks to those of you who attended yesterday’s SEA General Membership meeting. At the meeting, we voted on three items. More detail will be in Tuesday’s SEA President’s Report; this is just a quick update.

1. SEA members ratified the Tentative Agreement on Calendar. The Shoreline School Board will need to vote on it, as well, for it to be completely official, but I suspect that the calendar will be posted on the District website soon. In the meantime, you can view the agreement here.

2. SEA members approved a revised version of the SEA Constitution and Bylaws, which will be distributed to SEA Building Reps at the start of next year, if not before.

3. SEA members voted to adopt a resolution of support for Initiative 1098. If you are unsure what this is, more information is available on the SEA News site.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Elizabeth

SEA President's Report 5.25.10

2010-05-25T11:42:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

May 25, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: SEA General Membership Meeting, Race to the Top

Your Membership: WEA RA Recap

Know Your Contract: Bargaining Update, RiF Update

On a Personal Note: Home Email Addresses

Education News

** Hope to see you at the SEA General Membership meeting this Thursday, May 27, in the Shoreline Room at the Shoreline Center! Sign-in begins at 4:00 PM; call to order is at 4:15. Depending upon the amount of debate on agenda items, we should be able to adjourn by 5:30 PM. Agenda items include discussion and voting on the 2010-11 calendar tentative agreement, proposed revisions to the SEA Bylaws, information about SESPA’s negotiations and Living Wage campaign, and consideration of a resolution in support of Initiative I-1098.

**Race to the Top (RttT), referenced in a previous SEA President’s Report, is a federal competition to allocate $4.35 billion in temporary funding to states “that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform” (as defined by the Obama administration). This year’s SB 6696 was intended, in large part, to make Washington more competitive in its RttT application, which could yield up to $250 million in education funding for the state. In preparation for submission of the RttT application, which is due on June 1, local school districts were asked to sign Partnership Agreements with the State, agreeing to implement required reforms, and potentially some optional ones, as well. The only signature required from each district was that of the superintendent, although signatures were also encouraged from the school board president, a principal’s representative, and the local teacher’s union president.

The SEA Executive Board and Representative Council have considered this issue at length over the past few months. Despite significant concerns about the concept of education funding though competitive grants (i.e., there should not be winners and losers, but rather, public education should be fully funded for everyone), we acknowledge that these are challenging economic times, and that opportunities to receive additional funding should be seriously considered. So, your representatives on the SEA Exec. Board and Rep. Council did authorize me to sign the Race to the Top Partnership Agreement, if District Administration was willing to sign a separate Memorandum of Understanding with SEA guaranteeing our involvement – our partnership – in the process. Why would we feel that this is so important? Here is just a small sampling of what the RttT Partnership Agreement calls for:

phase-in implementation of the Common Core Standards in math & English language arts, and in other subjects when available.
increase teacher utilization of formative and summative assessment data.
increase student participation in courses that earn college credit.
commit to enhancing a local instructional improvement system’s usefulness to classroom teachers and ensure it has components included in the Race to the Top definition of an instructional improvement system.
require classroom teachers and building principals to participate in professional development opportunities on: how to use and apply the results of the instructional improvement system and strategies to make data-informed instructional decisions based on formative, benchmark, and summative assessment results.
establish at least two of the three:
Incentives for highly qualified teacher and principal placement in rural, high-poverty, and/or low-achievement schools;
Development of career ladder and/or differential pay options; and
Joining pilot districts on early development and implementation of teacher and principal evaluation systems, per state legislation, that include evaluation criteria linked to student growth (based on multiple measures).
and/or commit to implementing or strengthening partnerships with existing or new field-based alternative route teacher and leader programs with priority on STEM teachers [for example, Teach for America (TFA), New Leaders for New Schools].
close the P-13 Achievement Gap – focusing on achievement gaps within P-13, early learning, ELL, cultural competency, dropout prevention [for example, using models such as Response to Intervention (RTI)/Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS), Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), P-3 aligned systems, preK numeracy and literacy, credit retrieval, approaches based on brain research].
and/or increase Academic Rigor to Enhance College and Career Readiness and the alignment of high school graduation requirements with the minimum Higher Education Coordinating Board’s college entry requirements, courses that lead to college credit, and the guidance to prepare for college and careers [for example, AP courses, International Baccalaureate, AP-CTE courses, Project Lead the Way, AVID, and/or college preparation incentives, and/or Navigation 101].

As you can see, many of the commitments in the RttT Partnership Agreement would directly affect your working conditions, and given this reality, we believe that you have a right to be involved in the process of determining our path forward in continuing to improve the education that Shoreline students receive. Unfortunately, District administration was unwilling to make that commitment. They were willing to consult with individual staff members of their choosing, but were not willing to put into writing a commitment to engage with SEA leadership or representatives, since we have an obligation to represent all SEA members – including those who might raise questions or concerns about parts of the RttT application or its potential implementation. Because of this refusal to work with us as partners (or even “consult” with the Association), I joined approximately one-third of local association presidents statewide in not adding my signature to Shoreline’s RttT Partnership Agreement. If you’re interested, you can read my remarks from last Monday’s school board meeting here. Many thanks to the SEA Executive Board members in attendance at that meeting.

There are many steps involved with the Race to the Top application process, and Washington State may or may not be successful in its bid for funds. If our state does, in fact, receive a RttT grant, and if Shoreline decides to follow through on its intent to apply for these funds, we will certainly be ready and willing to engage in collective bargaining around any items in the application or its implementation that affect our current Collective Bargaining Agreement and/or wages, hours, terms and conditions of employment (including additional workload). However, I join our Reps and Exec Board members in being very disappointed in District administration’s unwillingness to engage with us as active partners in the Race to the Top process. If you have questions or concerns about this decision, please feel free to contact me.

Your Membership

Here is a more thorough recap of this year’s WEA Representative Assembly. Unfortunately, only a few of the videos are posted, but they are linked below. At the RA, delegates from across the state debate and vote on many proposals that ultimately chart the course of our state Association or the coming year and beyond. Delegates also hear from various individuals who are making a difference in the lives of educators and students, both here in Washington State and beyond. Some highlights are:

WEA President Mary Lindquist discussed the many challenges and facing WEA members, highlighted some of our successes, and emphasized the importance of local collective bargaining.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel inspired the RA with a fiery speech about “Ed Reform” and the need to reassert ourselves as the experts on public education.
Governor Christine Gregoire spoke to delegates about Race to the Top and education funding.
Bill Gates, Sr., spoke to the RA about the regressive nature of Washington’s tax structure and the need for tax reform in order to provide stable and adequate funding for education and social services.
We also heard from Washington State’s Teacher of the Year, Jamie Yoos, and WA ESP of the Year, Maribeth Steincipher, and watched a video highlighting the achievements of former Vancouver teacher (and current astronaut) Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger.
Senator Rosemary McAuliffe and Rep. Pat Sullivan both received WEA Friend of Education Awards for their advocacy and efforts on behalf of public education in the WA Legislature, and we celebrated the recent bargaining efforts and achievements of many WEA locals, including Kent EA and Lake Washington ESP.

WEA RA delegates debated and voted on multiple New Business Items and Resolutions/ Amendments. Here are a few of the measures passed by the RA.

New Business Item 2: Arizona Boycott --- Prohibits WEA from sending delegates or members to events, conferences, trainings, assemblies, or meetings that are held in Arizona so long as their new immigration law is in effect.
New Business Item A: High End Income Tax --- Supports a recently filed Initiative which would create an income tax for individuals earning $200,000 and above and $400,000 and above for couples to provide dedicated education funding.
New Business Item B: Common Sense Education Reform --- Directs the WEA to provide leadership, strategic thinking, and focus in advocating for common-sense, research-supported education reform.
New Business Item C: ESEA Reauthorization --- Directs the WEA to articulate clearly what education reforms we endorse and to coordinate internally and with external allies to shape ESEA reauthorization.
New Business Item D: Transitioning from Active to Retired Membership --- Calls for WEA and WEA Retired to address issues of transition from active membership to involved retiree membership.
New Business Item F: Pro Teach Support Program --- Establishes a WEA pilot program to support teachers engaged in the Pro-Teach portfolio process.
New Business Item G: Harkins Education Job Bill Action --- Encourages members to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives in support of the education funding bills currently moving through Congress.

In a future SEA President’s Report, we’ll hear from this year’s WEA RA delegates about their impressions of the 2010 Rep. Assembly.

Know Your Contract

It’s evaluation time. June 1st, which is next Tuesday, is the “due date” for annual evaluations. This means slightly different things, depending upon whether you are on the Performance Cycle (sometimes called ‘long form’) or Personal Professional Growth Cycle (usually called PPG or Pro-Grow). On or before this coming Tuesday, you either should have: 1) received a written evaluation from your principal/assistant principal, or 2) met with your supervising administrator to discuss progress toward PPG plan goals. Additional details about each are below, and complete details are in Article 26 of our CBA.

Performance Cycle: If you are on the Performance Cycle for Evaluation (sometimes called the ‘long form’), you should receive a copy of your Annual Performance Summary on or before June 1st. It should include a rating of “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory.” You should review the summary and a sign a copy of this form within five days of receiving it. Please note that your signature indicates that you have received the evaluation form, not necessarily that you agree with its contents. If you have a concern about your evaluation, you should contact Donna Lurie or Elizabeth Beck at the SEA office (425-486-7101), as you have the right to submit a rebuttal statement within 60 days of receiving your evaluation.

PPG Cycle: If you are on the PPG Cycle for Evaluation (PPG stands for Personal Professional Growth; this cycle is sometimes called ‘Pro-Grow,’ as well), you should have met with your administrator by June 1st to discuss the progress you have made towards your goal(s) and to sign Evaluation Form F, which will be placed in your personnel file. Also, Evaluation Form F is found in Appendix I of the SEA-District contract. Please remember that, while it is not required, you may submit a copy of the PPG goal(s) that you are working on to be placed in your personnel file, as well. Contact Vickie Fontaine or Denise Hinze in Human Resources if you would like to do this. Again, if you have questions or concerns, please contact Donna or Elizabeth at the SEA office.

On a Personal Note… If you have not received any SEA Advocacy Alerts lately (I sent one just yesterday about Initiative 1098!), please be sure to send your current home/personal email address to Krista Tenney, SEA Administrative Assistant, so that we can update our distribution lists. Even though we (SEA) are not bargaining this summer, hopefully you’ll join me in wanting to support our SESPA colleagues in their negotiations, should they need it. There are also several state and national political issues (I-1098, local legislative races, and ESEA reauthorization, to name a just few) about which we need to stay informed. Thanks much! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA General Membership Meeting: Thursday, 5/27/10 4:00 – 5:30 PM, Shoreline Room, SLC

SEA Exec Board/Rep Council Meeting: Thursday, 6/3/10, 3:45 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 6/7/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Advocacy Alert - Tax Reform and Education Funding

2010-05-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

SEA Advocacy Alert – May 24, 2010

Topic: Initiative 1098

Will SEA Take a Position on Tax Reform and Education Funding?

Dear SEA Members,

I hope you are planning to attend the SEA general membership meeting this Thursday, May 27, at 4:00 PM in the Shoreline Room, SLC. During the meeting, we will discuss and potentially vote on a resolution in support of Initiative 1098, which has been filed by a coalition of labor, business, and community leaders – including Bill Gates, Sr. - to provide middle class tax-cuts and dedicated funding for education and health care in Washington State through a high end income tax (see below for an explanation of “high end”).

At the WEA Representative Assembly last week, delegates from across the state overwhelmingly approved a New Business Item supporting this Initiative. It is up to us whether the Shoreline Education Association takes an official position on I-1098, as well.

SEA Building Representatives discussed this topic at last Thursday’s Rep. Council meeting, and many were interested in learning more about I-1098, and potentially taking an Association position of support. Because we are rapidly approaching the end of the school year, and the deadline to collect signatures to get this Initiative on the ballot is July 2, it was pointed out that if we are going to take such a position, we should do so right away, to encourage our colleagues to sign the I-1098 petitions over the next several weeks.

So, between now and Thursday, please take a few minutes to reflect on tax reform and education funding in our state. Here is what Initiative 1098 would do (follow the link for greater detail):

· Raise $1 billion per year to provide dedicated funding for education and health care.

· Reduce the state portion of property taxes by 20%, saving the average King County homeowner about $180 per year.

· Increase the small business tax credit from $420 to $4,800 annually, eliminating the state B&O tax for more than 80% of businesses, and reducing taxes for another 10%.

· Add a new “high end” income tax which will only be paid by couples with incomes over $400,000 and singles with incomes over $200,000 — about 3% of Washington households.

Why might Washington voters want to consider adding an income tax for high-end wage earners?

1. Because the recession has forced devastating cuts to vital public services – even after trimming staff, implementing efficiencies in every department, and closing tax loopholes, our state has still been forced to cut core education and health services. Funds to reduce class sizes have been slashed by 70 percent, and more than 40 thousand state residents have lost basic health coverage. Two thousand seniors and disabled people lost adult day health care, and state funding for child vaccinations has been eliminated.

2. Because Washington State has the #1 most regressive tax structure in the United States. Our lowest 20% of wage earners pay about six times as much of their income in taxes as our wealthiest citizens do. For a state that seems to pride itself on being progressive – especially in terms of politics and the environment – we are not progressive economically; rather, our poorest citizens are taxed at a higher rate than anywhere else in the nation. You can see a comparative chart of taxes for different income groups here, and read the source report for these tax data links here.

There are certainly many questions and concerns about taxes that the opponents of this Initiative are raising, and I would encourage you to read this FAQ document for more information about the constitutionality of an income tax measure, as well as the strict limits that I-1098 would place on any proposed lowering of the income tax threshold. In case you’d like to delve in a bit deeper, here are links to articles about I-1098 from the Economic Opportunity Institute and the Seattle P-I blog.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday afternoon to discuss I-1098, as well as several other important issues (including our calendar/bargaining agreement, of course). If you have questions before then, please feel free to email or call. Thanks for all you do!

Elizabeth

P.S. – Remember that all political advocacy must be done on your own time, using your own computer and home email address. I know you know this, but a reminder never hurts.

Elizabeth Beck

President, Shoreline Education Association

SEA President's Report 5.18.10

2010-05-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

May 18, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: WEA Retired, Technology Update, SEA General Membership Meeting

Your Membership: WEA RA

Know Your Contract: Bargaining Update, RiF Update

On a Personal Note: Supporting SESPA’s Living Wage Efforts

Education News

** At the request of the SEA Executive Board, here is a special guest article from Ken Mortland, Cascade UniServ Council Representative to the WEA Retired Board. Several of us on the board are “pre-retired” members of WEA Retired, and we wanted to make sure that all SEA members are aware of this opportunity. Your SEA Building Reps will receive membership brochures at this month’s SEA Rep Council meeting.

Retire from Your Position, not Your Profession

by Ken Mortland

What is WEA/NEA Retired? It is a band of current and former members of WEA & NEA, who have come together to achieve improvements in retirement benefits and stay involved in supporting public education. WEA Retired has its own elected officers and board, its own annual meeting, its own representatives on the WEA & NEA Boards and its own delegates to WEA & NEA RA’s. We sponsor pre-retirement seminars for active members who are planning to retire and need good, accurate, broad spectrum advice. We have our own scholarship program, Dollars for Scholars. And we have our own legislative program.

Why would I join WEA/NEA Retired? Essentially, there are two categories of reasons: what I can get and what I can do.

As a member of WEA/NEA Retired, I’m eligible to get many benefits: NEA MasterCard/Visa with no annual fee; NEA term life insurance; NEA subscription service; NEA/WEA Entertainment and Travel discounts; NEA Accidental Death Insurance; NEA endorsed auto & home owner insurance; and the attorney referral program. I will get numerous publications: WE (WEA); NEA Today; This Active Life (NEA Retired); WE Too (WEA Retired); WEA calendar book; consumer & retirement publications from both WEA & NEA.

As a member of WEA NEA Retired, I can do many things: be a voice for public education retirees in the state of Washington; work in partnership with WEA active members to improve public confidence in public education; help make retirement years the best they can be for WEA & NEA retired members; and help secure legislation which fully supports public education and active/retired public education employees.

You have an unparalleled opportunity right now. For $350, you can buy a life membership in WEA/NEA Retired. You will never have to pay dues to WEA/NEA Retired again. This price is not available indefinitely and has been increased several times in the last decade, so act now. If you can’t afford $350 at one time, there’s a coupon payment program available. This offer is not limited to retiring teachers. Active members can buy their life membership in WEA/NEA Retired and become “pre-retired” members. Right now, the population of pre-retired members exceeds the number of retired members by 20%.

If you are interested in joining WEA Retired, contact your SEA building rep or office. If you have questions, you can contact me at kmort1130@aol.com.

** At its May 10 meeting, Shoreline School Board members voted unanimously to adopt a new plan for technology at the secondary level – at least for the coming year. The plan was described in Board documents as follows: “Leave 1-1 program in place for grades 9-12 one more year, and place mobile lab carts with newly purchased machines at grades 7 and 8, as well as pilot new technologies during the year. Retired and still usable iBooks would be available for home use for students without home access.” In response to questions regarding what new technologies might be piloted for future use, Technology Director Jim Golubich mentioned iPads and and NetBooks as possibilities. This decision was framed as an interim plan, as the high school laptops are expected to last for only one more year; Board members and administrators have expressed concerns about the financial sustainability of the 1-1 laptop model.

** Please be sure to mark your calendars to attend this year’s SEA General Membership meeting on May 27 in the Shoreline Room at the Shoreline Center. Sign-in will begin at 4:00 PM, and the meeting will officially call to order at 4:15. Depending upon the amount of discussion on agenda items, we should be able to adjourn by 5:30 PM. Agenda items include discussion and voting on the 2010-11 calendar tentative agreement, proposed revisions to the SEA Bylaws, and information about upcoming ballot measures and political races likely to affect public education.

Your Membership

SEA’s delegates to the 2010 WEA Representative Assembly in Spokane returned to this side of the mountains on Sunday after an eventful three days with 1,000 or so of our colleagues from across the state. In addition to debating and voting on new business items, delegates heard speeches from the Teacher of the Year, ESP of the Year, Governor Gregoire, Bill Gates, Sr., and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, among others. A more detailed RA update will be in next week’s SEA President’s Report, when (hopefully!) more of the speeches and videos will be posted on the WEA website for you to view.

Know Your Contract

** Here is a brief SEA Bargaining Update, for those of you not yet following Shoreline EA on Facebook and/or Twitter (remember that those sites are blocked on Shoreline’s wireless network, but you can access them when you’re not at school). On May 11, the SEA and Administration Bargaining Teams met to negotiate the final calendar for the 2010-11 school year, as well as several key dates for 2011-12. A conceptual tentative agreement was reached, and complete language is in the process of being finalized. Copies of the agreement will be provided at the SEA General Membership meeting on May 27, and SEA members will have an opportunity to ask questions, discuss, and vote on whether to ratify the calendar agreement reached by the Bargaining Teams. The Shoreline School Board is scheduled to vote on the agreement at its June 7 meeting, pending SEA ratification.

** At its May 10 meeting, the Shoreline School Board approved a Reduction in Force of up to 5.0 certificated FTE due to a projected enrollment decline of 270 students, largely at the secondary level. Over the course of last week, several SEA members received RiF notices, most for a portion of their FTE. According to the most recent information I have, the total reduction was 2.2 FTE. SEA members who received a layoff notice should be sure to contact Donna Lurie at the SEA office (425-486-7101, ext. 102). It may also be helpful to read the detailed RiF instructions provided last spring in an SEA President’s Report prior to talking with Donna. As always, if you have contract-related questions or concerns, please contact Donna or Elizabeth at the SEA office.

On a Personal Note… As many of you are aware, SESPA (Shoreline Education Support Professionals Association) begins contract negotiations with District administration later this month. Their primary focus is to obtain a Living Wage for their members; a recent Bargaining Update highlights why. “Shoreline’s employment model for educational support relies on low pay; a “20-hour per week ceiling” for classified employees; no insurance benefits for many of us; and a lack of job security for SESPA members whose jobs or hours are called “temporary”--- casual labor. Shoreline has a caste system that is outdated and wrong. This employment model may have made sense in the 50’s and 60’s when this work might have been a way for moms to pick up a few extra bucks-- when dad was the wage earner, and women had few opportunities. Today, the majority of SESPA members are either the primary providers or provide essential income for our families. Approximately one third of us work a second or third job. Half of us have a BA degree or higher. Most SESPA employees view their work in Shoreline School District as a career and are highly skilled, dedicated, loyal employees.” As SEA members, we know how critically important our classified colleagues are to the education our students receive. Please show your support for our SESPA colleagues by printing and displaying a car sign or wearing a button (available later this week) highlighting their bargaining theme: RESPECTED – VALUED – PAID. You can follow the progress of SESPA negotiations on their blog: http://www.sespaunion.blogspot.com/. Thanks! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 5/20/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA General Membership Meeting: Thursday, 5/27/10 4:00 – 5:30 PM, Shoreline Room, SLC

SEA Exec Board/Rep Council Meeting: Thursday, 6/3/10, 3:45 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 6/7/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 5.10.10

2010-05-10T14:00:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

May 10, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: National School Nurse Day, Staying Connected this Week (and beyond), Speak Up for Education & Kids, Green Across America

Your Membership: WEA Jump Start. NEA-sponsored ELL Training

Know Your Contract: Staffing and Involuntary Transfers

On a Personal Note: Thanks for Your Input

Education News

** This Wednesday, May 12, is National School Nurse Day! In 1972, this day was created to provide a better understanding of the role of school nurses and the many contributions they make every day in our schools. Shoreline is one of the very, very few school districts in Washington that continues to have a nurse in each school five days a week, and we should be proud of that. Please be sure to say a special thank you to your school nurse on Wednesday for the important work they do for our students and our schools!

** This week is a busy one. The SEA President’s Report is arriving a day early, because I will be working out of the office the rest of the week due to bargaining and WEA RA. Please check the SEA Facebook page during the next few days for updated news on the following topics:

* Tonight’s Committee of the Whole study session has been converted to a voting meeting. School Board members are expected make a decision regarding technology purchases for secondary students and to authorize Human Resources to make any necessary Reductions in Force for staffing next year.

* The SEA and Administrative Bargaining Teams meet tomorrow, May 11, to negotiate next year’s calendar and several important dates for the following year, as well. Hopefully, a tentative agreement will be reached in a single session, but we’ll see.

* The WEA Representative Assembly will be in session May 13-15, and six SEA members will join delegates from across the state to make important decisions about the future of our Association.

* This Friday, May 14, is the deadline for District administration to issue any necessary RiF notices to affected employees.

As time and technology allows, I will also try to post update to the SEA News site, and of course, will recap the latest news in next week’s SEA President’s Report. If you’re a Twitter user, you can also keep track of events by following ShorelineEA.

** Speaking of Facebook, NEA has launched new Facebook page, called Speak Up for Education & Kids, in an effort to unite educators and community members in advocating for public education. Become a fan (these days it’s clicking the “Like” button, but same thing…) to show your support!

** NEA’s Green Across America Program is sponsored by Target, which proudly supports K-12 schools through innovative giving programs. Beginning May 1, grants in the sum of $1,000 will be available to help you implement your innovative education program, activity, lesson or event to excite students about going green, caring for the earth and creating a sustainable future. More information can be found here.

Your Membership

** WEA’s National Board Jump Start is a four-day training that provides early support to new National Board candidates to be successful in the certification process ahead. Designed and led by a fun and dynamic team of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), Jump Start is intended to complement yearlong candidate support provided by university and district programs. Those who are committed to starting the National Board process in spring, summer or fall of 2010 should strongly consider taking of advantage of this opportunity. For more information, or to register to attend either the June 28-July 1 Spokane training or the Aug. 2-5 Edmonds training, click here.

** WEA members who work with English Language Learners are encouraged to participate in a valuable learning opportunity, sponsored by the NEA. The program, Training of Trainers for English Language Learners: Culture, Equity & Language Training Module, focuses on strategies best suited to close unnecessary achievement gaps. The training will be held July 20-24 in Tampa, Florida. A formal application and updated resume is required by the May 28 deadline. If interested, send a message here -- and more information will be provided to you.

Know Your Contract

For the past several weeks, principals and central office administrators have been working on staffing for next year. As has been mentioned before, enrollment is projected to decline by approximately 270 students, and there will be staffing reductions made due to the decreased number of students; these reductions may necessitate a Reduction in Force. RiF procedures are outlined in Article 36 of our CBA, and were reviewed in a previous SEA President’s Report. District Administration must issue any necessary RiF notices on or before this Friday, May 14. (Since May 15 falls on a Saturday this year.)

Another element of staffing involves making sure that staffing levels at each of our schools matches student enrollment. When there is a surplus of staff in one or more buildings, Article 23 of our CBA outlines the procedure for district reassignments, also known as “involuntary transfers.”

If you are concerned about potential reassignment because your building is overstaffed, I would encourage you to read this entire Article carefully. However, a brief summary of the staffing process would be that:

* Buildings are first given their staffing numbers, which are based on projected student enrollment and the District’s class size ratio targets.

* Then, if a school, program, or department is overstaffed, based on those numbers, the principal will ask for volunteers to be transferred, per 23.1.1.

* If there are no volunteers, then the principal decides who is to be involuntarily transferred, as described in 23.1.2; this decision must be approved by District Administration.

* Finally, any staff members who are to be reassigned will be placed in positions prior to implementing employee-requested transfers, per 23.1.4. (It is important to note that for the most part, this process refers to transfers from one building to another. It is common, within one building, for individuals to be given different teaching assignments from year to year.)

While most of us were affected in some way by this process last year (either through being transferred, or losing/gaining a colleague), and while hopefully there will be fewer involuntary transfers this year because the staffing reductions will not be as great, please remember that an involuntary transfer can be an exceedingly difficult experience. Thank you in advance for everything I know you will do to welcome new colleagues into your teams, departments, and schools.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact Elizabeth Beck or Donna Lurie at the SEA office.

On a Personal Note… I know that you have been barraged by surveys in the past several weeks, and just wanted to take a moment to say thank you again for taking the time to weigh in and provide input to the SEA Bargaining Team, Conference Committee, and Calendar Committee. While surveys are certainly not the only way we gather information, they provide critical insight to help representative groups of our peers make important recommendations and decisions. That so many of you took time out of your busy schedules to provide this assistance to your colleagues means a great deal – and, of course, helps us represent you more effectively! Many thanks, also, to the SEA Bargaining Team members, who are meeting with the Administrative Bargaining Team tomorrow to negotiate our calendar: Liz Travis, Kevin Rodgers, Dani Pratt, Tim Nelson, Roger Nelson, Donna Lurie, Amanda Findley (and me). Remember to check the SEA Facebook page for updates! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 5/17/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 5/20/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA General Membership Meeting: Thursday, 5/27/10 4:00 – 5:30 PM, Shoreline Room, SLC

SEA Exec Board/Rep Council Meeting: Thursday, 6/3/10, 3:45 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Advocacy Update 5.6.10 - Town Hall Meetings Saturday

2010-05-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

SEA Advocacy Update --- May 6, 2010

Topic: U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee's Town Hall Meetings this Saturday

Dear SEA Members,

Congressman Jay Inslee is holding two Town Hall meetings in our area this Saturday. While this is short notice, if you are available, here are some reasons you might want to attend:

** Find out what is happening in the ‘other’ Washington. Jay is a great speaker and never fails to educate his listeners. He is well-informed, understands education, and has a spotless record of supporting educators. Or…

** Thank him for his role in passing Healthcare Reform. Or…

** Let him know that you support a new education stimulus bill (the Keep Our Educators Working Act) that has been introduced in the House—to address the loss of stimulus funds at the end of the next school year. Or…

** Tell him that the Obama’s administration’s “Blueprint” for the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, currently known as No Child Left Behind) is misguided. It is based on temporary and competitive grants—not stable funding. It continues the emphasis on standardized testing—not multiple measures. It intends to tie teacher evaluations to test scores. And it is not research-based. It is a continuation of the rhetoric and ideas we faced under NCLB (though with more money, thankfully).

Here are the details about U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee’s Town Halls on Saturday, May 8:

Mountlake Terrace Town Hall Meeting
Saturday, May 8, 2010, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
The Gym at Mountlake Terrace Elementary
22001 52nd Ave. W.
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043

Kenmore Town Hall Meeting
Saturday, May 8, 2010, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The Cafeteria at Inglemoor High School
15500 Simonds Rd. N.E.
Kenmore, WA 98028

If you are unable to attend one of these events, please take a moment this weekend to visit Education Votes and email lawmakers about ESEA Reauthorization and the need for additional education stimulus funds!

Thanks for all you do,

Elizabeth

P.S. – Remember that all political advocacy must be done on your own time, using your own phone, computer and home email address. I know you know this, but a reminder never hurts.

Elizabeth Beck

President, Shoreline Education Association

SEA President's Report 5.4.10

2010-05-04T12:12:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

May 4, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: LID Survey, Technology Update, Continuing Education Opportunities, Email Reminder

Your Membership: WEA-PAC Drive Results

Know Your Contract: Personal Leave

On a Personal Note: Teacher Appreciation Week – Thank YOU!

Education News

** Please be sure to complete the survey from the SEA Bargaining Team regarding the loss of our final state-funded Learning Improvement Day (LID). The impact of this loss must be bargained by the SEA and Administrative Bargaining Teams when they meet on May 11 to negotiate the calendar. While the SEA calendar proposal will take into account multiple factors, including the Calendar Committee’s recommendations, Listening Season and survey results from last year, comparables from surrounding districts, and available funding, the SEA Bargaining Team would like to know your current preferences on this topic before we begin bargaining.

** Last night, the Shoreline School Board continued their deliberations about technology decisions for secondary students. The options under consideration include: 1) moving to a mobile labs/cart model at all four schools, using the functioning HS laptops, while piloting new technology; 2) keeping the 1:1 model at high school with the current HS laptops and purchasing enough new laptops to implement a cart model at the middle schools, while piloting new technology; or 3) purchasing new laptops to maintain the current 1:1 model with new laptops at the middle school level, knowing that the HS laptops would need to be replaced soon, also. It is likely that the Board will make a decision at the May 10th meeting, which was scheduled as a Committee of the Whole study session, but will probably become a voting meeting.

**Here are some upcoming Continuing Education Opportunities.

*Jeanine O'Connell at Highland Terrace is providing informational meetings regarding obtaining a Master of Education - Integrated Teaching Through the Arts degree through Lesley University. The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Integrated Teaching Through the Arts program provides an exploration of the power of arts integration in education. Through stimulating courses and hands-on experiences, in-service K-12 teachers and other professionals discover the potential of the arts to increase student engagement and success. The arts can provide differentiation and intervention in response to students' needs. Drama, music, storytelling, poetry, visual arts, and creative movement are utilized to access students' learning styles and engage the creative learning process. Classes meet locally one weekend a month for 22 months. Jeanine is holding her informational meetings in classroom 8 at Highland Terrace at 4:00 PM on Wednesdays, May 12, and 19th. She is also willing to meet at other times, and can be reached at jeanine.oconnell@shorelineschools.org.

*The Washington Science Teachers Association (WSTA) and the Pacific Lutheran University Morken Center for Learning and Technology are holding a workshop entitled Creating Safer School Laboratories, June 28 – July 1, 2010. The intended audience is K-20 science educators, pre-service teachers, safety officers and others. More information and registration details are available online.

** Just a reminder that during the week prior to spring break, many of my emails were not being received by @shorelineschools.org accounts. So, if you sent an email to me (Elizabeth) at the sea.president@washingtonea.org address during the week before break and did not receive a response, please resend it, or send a new one with your question or comment. Thanks!

Your Membership

This WEA-PAC update is informational only. If you have questions about WEA-PAC, please DO NOT reply to this email. Instead, send me a separate email from your home email address during non-contract time or your duty free lunch. You can also ask your SEA Building Rep about WEA-PAC during off-duty/non-contract time.

WEA-PAC is the WEA Political Action Committee; it supports candidates, regardless of party, who champion the needs of public education. Joining is voluntary, and SEA/WEA members may join at any time by contacting an SEA Building Rep (see above note). Each year, we conduct a WEA-PAC “drive” and the results below reflect WEA-PAC membership at each of our schools at the conclusion of this year’s drive.

Room Nine C.S. 100%

Parkwood 96%

Brookside 90%

Lake Forest Park 81%

Echo Lake 77%

Meridian Park 68%

Syre 63%

Kellogg 56%

Shorecrest 54%

Shorewood 53%

Einstein 50%

Ridgecrest 47%

Highland Terrace 46%

Shoreline Center 25%

Briarcrest 21%

Total SEA 54%

Our local WEA-PAC goal this year was 60% membership, so we are not there yet, but we do have seven schools that have exceeded the goal and several others that are quite close. The schools reaching at least 65% were entered into a drawing to win a pizza lunch for their staff – and we will be scheduling that lunch later this spring at…Parkwood! Many thanks to SEA Building Reps for their WEA-PAC drive efforts!

Know Your Contract

As we get closer to the end of the school year, there are a few things you should be particularly aware of regarding your Personal Leave. Article 47 of our CBA addresses Personal Leave. Below are highlights about Personal Leave that you should be aware of, especially if you are retiring, resigning, leaving the District, or changing your FTE next year).

Each certificated employee is allowed three Personal Leave days each year.
A ‘day’ is based upon FTE (for example, if you work .5 FTE, a “day” is 4 hours, no matter what your schedule actually looks like).
You may have up to six days in your Personal Leave “bank.” (Be aware of how the six-day limitation may affect you when moving from full-time to partial FTE, since the definition of “day” is dependent upon your FTE.)
Except in emergencies, at least five days advance notice must be provided to your principal for use of a personal day.
Except in emergencies or for required religious observances, not more than 10% of certificated staff in a building may be out on Personal Leave on any given day.
Special permission must be granted from Human Resources to use more than three Personal Days in a row.
An employee who uses less than three Personal Days in a given year may cash out the balance (between three and the number of days used that year) at the daily substitute rate. Requests for this must be submitted by the last day of school, and the District generally sends out a form in June for you to fill out and send in.

If you have questions, particularly about how moving from full-time to part-time might affect your personal leave balance, please first read the contract language in Article 47 online, and then contact Elizabeth Beck or Donna Lurie at the SEA office.

On a Personal Note…Today is National Teacher Day, and as you likely are aware, this is Teacher Appreciation Week - a good opportunity to reminisce about a teacher (or several) who inspired you, and reflect on the reasons why you became an educator. The work that we do is challenging and rewarding (and I know, from time to time the balance between those doesn’t seem skewed in the correct direction). I hope all of you are aware of how much you are valued by your students and their families, and also by your colleagues. Please take a moment to share with one or more of your colleagues this week how much you appreciate the work that they do. At the same time, enjoy the kudos that you receive this week from students and parents – they are well-deserved! For my part, I am deeply honored to be able to represent and advocate for you, SEA members. It’s hard for me to imagine a more dedicated, talented, professional group of educators. Thank you for the incredible work you do each day. --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 5/6/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 5/17/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 5/20/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA General Membership Meeting: Thursday, 5/27/10 4:00 – 5:30 PM, Shoreline Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 4.27.10

2010-05-03T11:24:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

April 27, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Email Problems, SEA General Membership Meeting, Shoreline Teacher of the Year Reception, Surveys, Technology Decisions, ETS Scoring Opportunity, Teacher Leadership Survey

Your Membership: Lake Washington ESP Update, WEA Representative Assembly

Know Your Contract: Retention and Recall (RiF) Procedures

On a Personal Note: Spring Break Reading – Diane Ravitch

Education News

** As you may remember, during the week prior to spring break, many of my emails were not being received by @shorelineschools.org accounts. For now, this problem seems to be resolved, but its cause is still unknown. So, if you sent an email to me (Elizabeth) at the sea.president@washingtonea.org address during the week before break and did not receive a response, please resend it, or send a new one with your question or comment. I have no way of knowing which of my emails were received and which were not, and don’t want to flood your in-boxes with duplicates. Thanks!

** Please mark your calendars for an SEA General Membership meeting on Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 4:00 PM at the Shoreline Center. More details to follow in a future Report.

** Please join us in honoring Joneen Richards, Shoreline’s 2010 Teacher of the Year at a reception at the Shoreline Center on May 3rd at 6:30 PM, just prior to the School Board meeting that evening. Hope to see you there!

** Spring is apparently survey season! Many thanks to those of you who completed the recent calendar survey (all staff) and elementary conference survey (elementary certificated staff only). District administration recently released a technology survey for secondary certificated staff, which I hope will receive many responses; if you have not already completed it, please take a few moments to do so. (Secondary students and families are also being surveyed about technology.) Finally, please be on the lookout for a survey from the SEA Bargaining Team regarding the loss of our final state-funded Learning Improvement Day (LID). The impact of this loss must be bargained by the SEA and Administrative Bargaining Teams when they meet on May 11th. Some school districts are replacing this LID with a locally funded day, while others are cutting the time out of their calendars. In either case, the balance of Administratively-directed and Individually-directed time could be affected, and the SEA Bargaining Team would like to know your preferences for the use of our non-student time when we negotiate this topic.

** The Shoreline School Board is currently deliberating on decisions about technology at the secondary level. The middle school student laptops are limping (barely) their way to the end of the school year, and the high school laptops enter their fifth year of use next fall. School Board members discussed this topic at their April 12 and April 26 Committee of the Whole meetings, and a decision may be made at the May 3 School Board meeting. As of yesterday’s meeting, the options seeming to be under consideration include purchasing new laptops to maintain the current 1:1 model, moving to a mobile labs/cart model with the functioning laptops and possibly piloting new technology, or some combination of the previous two options (e.g. keep 1:1 some schools and move to carts in others). If you have strong opinions on this topic, I would urge you to come to the May 3 School Board meeting to express them!

** The Educational Testing Service is looking for experienced educators who hold a Washington professional certificate to become official ProTeach Portfolio scorers. This is an opportunity to use your expertise to support education in Washington and also earn a bit of extra money over the summer. The ProTeach Portfolio is a new, online assessment program built for teachers to earn their professional certificate. Read more about the opportunity by clicking here.

** The Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium represents a broad array of education organizations, state education agencies, teacher leaders, principal leaders, superintendents and institutions of higher education. They are asking for feedback on a set of draft standards for the development of teachers as leaders. Model standards can stimulate dialogue among stakeholders of the teaching profession about what constitutes the knowledge, skills and competencies that teachers need in order to assume leadership roles in their schools, districts and the profession. You can access the model standards and provide feedback until April 30 by clicking here.

Your Membership

** After approximately 15 months of negotiations, the Lake Washington Education Support Professionals have ratified a new, three-year contract. As many of you know, our WEA UniServ Representative, Donna Lurie, was assigned earlier this year as a back-up bargainer for LWESP, and eventually she took over as lead bargainer and was instrumental in helping to achieve their settlement. Check out this short video on the WEA website for more details (and to watch Donna in action at their ratification meeting)!

** The WEA Representative Assembly (WEA RA) is right around the corner. WEA members representing their locals and councils will converge on Spokane on May 13 for three days of association business. (WEA Board Directors and local presidents arrive a day earlier for meetings prior to the start of RA.) At the RA, delegates hear speeches and presentations, discuss and debate current educational issues, and vote on such things as:

New Business Items (NBI’s involve future actions of the WEA);
New Resolutions (Resolutions are association belief statements);
Constitution and Bylaws Amendments (e.g. the membership and leadership structure of the WEA and the rules that we use to conduct association business);
Candidate elections (for state and national-level positions).

This year, SEA’s RA delegates are: Elizabeth Beck, Veronica Cook, Alisan Giesy, Roger Nelson, Michelle Ramey, and Heather Stipulkosky. They will join other delegates from Shoreline, Northshore, and Edmonds at the the Cascade UniServ Council Mock RA this Thursday to receive an orientation to the WEA RA, discuss and possibly take caucus positions on proposed new business items and other issues, and receive their materials. If you would like to follow along with events at this year’s RA, check the SEA Facebook page, where I will post regular updates and provide links to other sites tracking RA progress and news.

Know Your Contract

While this is certainly not the most fun contractual topic to discuss, it is the time of year when many of us are concerned about potential Reductions in Force (RiFs or layoffs). First, we do not yet know what RiFs, if any, will be made in Shoreline. The District’s budget reserves are healthy (some would even call them high), and prior to spring break Deputy Superintendent Marcia Harris told SEA Building Reps that administrators did not anticipate changing the current class size average ratios. However, enrollment is projected to decline again next year, so there may be some reductions made to compensate for this.

Next, Shoreline’s process for RiFs is outlined by Article 36 of our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). If you are concerned that you may be affected by layoffs this spring, I would encourage you to read carefully through the entire article, but here are some of the major provisions:

The need for a reduction in force may be triggered by a lack of funds or decrease in student enrollment. (36.1)
The District determines who will be retained based on certification/endorsement and seniority, in that order. (36.4)
Seniority is defined as the total length of contracted service in the Shoreline School District and/or other school districts in the State of Washington, and a seniority list must be distributed to staff. (36.3)
Certificated staff reductions must be approved by the school board and affected employees must be notified on or before May 15th. (36.8)
Employees with a continuing contract are automatically placed in a recall pool for rehire, should vacancies occur; provisional employees must submit a request to be placed in the pool. (36.9, 38.8.1)
The District shall grant requests for voluntary leaves or leave extensions that reduce the need for a reduction in force. (36.10)

If District administrators decide to present recommendations for a RiF to the school board, this will happen in the next couple of weeks. It is likely that the May 10 Committee of the Whole meeting will be converted into a Regular Board Meeting, if this is necessary, to avoid the announcement of RiFs at the May 3 Board meeting, honoring Shoreline’s Teacher of the Year and recognizing Teacher Appreciation Week. The week of May 10 will be a very busy one – we have a bargaining session scheduled for May 11, and WEA RA May in Spokane May 12-16. However, I will keep you informed as best I can that week (remember that the SEA Facebook page is a great place to go for updates in between newsletters), and will provide a more thorough update in the following Tuesday’s SEA President’s Report.

On a Personal Note… Over spring break, I made time to read The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Its author, Diane Ravitch, has received a great deal of media attention of late for her change of heart on such ‘ed reform’ issues as charter schools, testing, and punitive accountability measures. A former proponent of NCLB, Ravitch outlines clearly in her latest book how the reform agenda laid out by the Bush administration in NCLB (which is now being continued by the Obama administration via Race to the Top and the Blueprint for ESEA reauthorization) is damaging, rather than improving, public education in this country. She reminds her readers that the tests upon which everything ‘ed reform’ seems to hinge “were not designed to capture the most important dimensions of education, for which we do not have measures…. And when we use the results of tests, with all their limitations, as a routine means to fire educators, hand out bonuses, and close schools, then we distort the purpose of schooling altogether.” For anyone who cares about the future of public education, this is a book worth reading. Even if you have to wait until summer break to do so, I hope you’ll add it to your list! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 5/3/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 5/6/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 5/20/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 4.13.10

2010-04-13T12:13:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

April 13, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Shoreline Teacher of the Year, Dues & Taxes Reminder, Legislative Update

Your Membership: Message from Mary Lindquist about the 2010 Legislative Session

Know Your Contract: Calendar and Conference Surveys

On a Personal Note: PTA Appreciation Week

Education News

** Please join me in congratulating Joneen Richards, Shoreline’s 2010 Teacher of the Year! Joneen is a Spanish teacher at Einstein; you can read more about the amazing work she does in this District news release. Joneen will be honored at a reception at the Shoreline Center on May 3rd at 6:30 PM, just prior to the School Board meeting that evening. Hope to see you there!

** For those of you who are waiting until the 11th hour to complete your taxes, remember that information about association dues deductions is available on the SEA News site. J

** We now have a state budget. The WA Legislature adjourned their special session at 1:00 AM this morning, having reached agreement on both a supplemental operating budget and a revenue package. The good news (aside from the fact that we finally have a budget) is that, due to the revenue package passed, the funding cuts are not as bad as they could have been. The bad news is (yes, you guessed it), there are still substantial cuts to K-12 and higher education funding. More details are available on the WEA website, and SEA Building Reps will receive a detailed update at this Thursday’s Rep. Council meeting. In the meantime, here is a summary of the major additional K-12 budget reductions for 2010-11, based on information received from WEA’s lobby team this morning.

Initiative 728 funding is eliminated. This is a $78.5 million cut statewide. The current $131.16 per FTE student in 2009-10 was originally budgeted to be reduced to $99.32 in 2010-11, a 71.4 percent reduction in the first year and 78.3 percent in the second year. However, that per student funding is now eliminated entirely for the 2010-11 school year. In the current 2009-10 year, I-728 funding provides state funding for approximately 1,500 educator positions.

The Certificated Staff Ratio is reduced for Grade 4, a $30 million cut. Basic education act formulas require a minimum of 46 certificated instructional staff (CIS) for each 1,000 students. This ratio has been enhanced in the early grades (K-4) to provide 53.2 CIS for each 1,000 students. This ratio is maintained for grades K-3, however for grade 4 the ratio is reduced to 47.4 CIS for every 1,000 FTE students. This results in approximately 453 fewer state funded CIS positions for the 2010-11 school year.

A $22 million savings is achieved by postponing sales tax payments for school bus depreciation. OSPI will provide sufficient funds in the last year of a bus’s expected life cycle to cover sales tax costs, rather than providing a portion of these funds each year to cover this cost.

The one remaining Learning Improvement Day (LID) is eliminated, a $15.5 million cut, which translates into a half percent reduction in base compensation for certificated staff on the state salary schedule.

Chances are good that Shoreline’s administrative team is already busy calculating the impact of these cuts on the District budget and projected staffing for next year. Please stay tuned for more updates in future issues of this Report!

Your Membership

If you receive OurVoice emails at your home email address, apologies for the repeat, but since not all of you have provided SEA and WEA with your home email address, here is a message from WEA President Mary Lindquist, reflecting on this year’s legislative session:

The state Legislature adjourned its special session at 1 a.m. this morning, just hours after passing a final state budget and revenue package.

It’s a good time to reflect on what the 2010 Legislature accomplished. I am glad to report that legislators and Gov. Gregoire delivered on several of the legislative goals the WEA Board set last fall:

They passed research-based education reform legislation that reflects the professional experience and judgment of Washington educators.
They passed the levy bill, which increases state funding for levy equalization by $22 million and allows voters to increase their local school levy amounts.
They approved $800 million in new state revenue to protect core education programs, including all-day kindergarten, levy equalization, classified staff funding and the bulk of K-4 class-size funding.

WEA members, staff and leaders worked hard to make these priorities become reality. Whether we e-mailed our legislators, talked to them in person or called the legislative hotline, legislators heard our voices and responded accordingly. I believe they truly listened to -- and respected -- our perspective as professional educators.

Significantly, WEA helped lead and fund two important, unprecedented coalitions -- one in support of new revenue, the other in support of protecting school funding.

Yet even with new revenue, the recent state budget cuts caused by the economic recession will result in overcrowded classrooms, fewer staff for students and cutbacks in important student programs for both K-12 and higher education.

For budget details, read this document.

Analysts say we will lose an estimated 2,000 certificated jobs this fall, plus education support jobs and higher education positions. Let’s be clear: These losses will affect our students and our workload.

Now we need legislators to keep their commitment to adequate school funding in the 2011 legislative session and beyond: Restoring funding for I-728 and I-732, funding the ed reform legislation, and providing the ample funding required by the state constitution.

In the meantime, there likely will be several ballot measures this November that affect public education. All of the state House and half of the Senate, plus Sen. Patty Murray and our Congressional delegation, are up for re-election. We’re also tackling the reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the second round of Race to the Top. And nearly 200 WEA local associations will be negotiating contracts this year.

The coming months and the 2010-11 school year will be extremely challenging, but by working together in solidarity, I believe we can and will make a difference for our students and our profession.

Thank you.

Mary Lindquist
WEA President

Know Your Contract

Just a reminder to please complete the online calendar survey launched last Friday. The SEA-SESPA-Administrative Calendar Committee values your input, and is diligently working to craft calendar recommendations to provide to the SEA and Administrative Bargaining Teams, who will meet on May 11th to discuss contract reopeners – primarily related to calendar. SEA members who work at the elementary level also received an invitation to participate in a survey about our current parent-teacher conference schedule. Both the Calendar and Conference Committees hope that participation in that survey will be high, as well. Both surveys will be open through April 26, but you are strongly encouraged to complete them prior to leaving for spring break. Thank you so much for taking a few moments to provide your thoughts and feedback!

On a Personal Note… This is PTA Appreciation week, and many of you may be planning to attend events in your buildings to express your appreciation for all that our PTAs and individual parent volunteers do to support our students and staff. Shoreline is blessed with an incredibly supportive community, including - but not limited to - our PTAs, and I hope you’ll take a moment this week to extend a personal thank you to some of the parents that assist with the work we do and help provide additional opportunities for our students – through scholarships, afterschool programs, equipment purchases and more. And of course, thanks for all you do, as well. Helping our students succeed is truly a team effort! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 4/15/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 5/3/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 5/6/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 4.6.10

2010-04-06T12:40:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

April 6, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: The Cascade Update Online, Shoreline Budget Status

Your Membership: WEA Elections Results

Know Your Contract: April 2 Follow-Up

On a Personal Note: Calendar Progress

Education News

** The latest issue of The Cascade Update (WEA Cascade’s newsletter) is available online at http://www.weacascade.org/images/stories/newsletters/apr-may2010cucnl.pdf. Highlights include more information about the state’s decision to appeal the NEWS court case ruling, and details about WEA Cascade’s upcoming Mock RA for WEA Representative Assembly delegates.

** Many of you have been asking budget questions – both about the state budget, and also about the district budget. Here is an update, primarily about Shoreline’s budget status. As of this morning, there is still no agreement in Olympia on a state budget or a revenue package to mitigate proposed cuts. Many local budget decisions, including staffing, hinge to a great extent on the funding that Shoreline will receive from the state. While many of you have questions and concerns about what staffing will look like for next year, and whether there will be layoffs this spring, it is still too early to know for sure. While there have been substantial cuts proposed by the state, the Shoreline School District’s budget is in good shape, and should be able to withstand many of the proposed cuts for next year.

Based on the most recent General Fund Cash Flow Document provided to the School Board, Shoreline is projected to end the year with $7,853,678 in its Total End Fund Balance. This is 9% of projected expenditures, which is very healthy for a district of Shoreline’s size. Current school board policy sets a requirement for the Unreserved Ending Fund Balance to be at 4-5% of budgeted expenditures. The Unreserved Ending Fund Balance is projected to be $3,666,480, which is just over 4%, thus meeting that policy requirement. Additionally, there is a $4,187,218 difference between the projected Total vs. Unreserved Fund Balances.

This $4 million difference is set aside for “Reserves and Carryover” – and is a subject of ongoing discussion between SEA leadership and District administration. It includes reserves for insurance and inventory, a reserve for COLA/Retirement “Catch-up” (assuming the state eventually funds this – a big ‘if’ to be sure), a reserve for curriculum adoptions, and well over $2 million in “Carryover” funds, including I-728 carryover and building budgets, among other things. There are multiple perspectives from which to view these reserve and carryover accounts, which is why we monitor them so closely. On the one hand, it is responsible budgeting to set aside funds for necessary expenditures - like curriculum adoptions – and on the other, we shouldn’t continue to build up savings for a rainy day when the thunderstorm is already in progress. The funds we receive from the state should be spent, to the utmost degree possible, on the students and staff in classrooms now. Throughout this spring, please be on the lookout for continued updates on budget and staffing!

Your Membership

The results of the recent WEA Elections are as follows. (The SEA Elections results were published in a previous issue of the SEA President’s Report.)

WEA Cascade Board Directors

Lynn Emerson (NSEA)

Dan Gossett (EEA)

WEA Cascade State Delegates to the NEA RA

Tim Brittell (NSEA)

Lynn Emerson (NSEA)

Cathy Johannes (EEA)

Steve Johnson (NSEA)

Know Your Contract

Just a quick follow-up from last Friday’s IDEA Stimulus Day…. If you attended and signed in, you will be paid at your hourly rate (per diem), for your contracted FTE, on your April paycheck. (You should see it as a separate line item labeled “04-02-10.”) If you did not attend, your PS 102 documenting appropriate leave must be turned in to your Office Manager no later than April 7th. If you took leave for April 2nd, then you will see payment for the day on your May paycheck (same line item label), due to the additional time needed to process the leave.

On a Personal Note… A few of you have asked recently when we will have a calendar for the 2010-11 school year; some dates have already been negotiated and are listed on this year’s calendar. They include:

Sep. 1 ---- First student day

Dec. 20-31 ---- Winter Break

Feb. 21-25 ---- Mid-Winter Break

The remainder of the 2010-11 calendar (including spring break and the placement of our non-student workdays, parent-teacher conferences, etc.) is currently being discussed by the Calendar Committee and will be negotiated by the SEA and Administrative Bargaining Teams this spring, along with major dates (such as those above) for the 2011-12 school year. A calendar survey will be coming out fairly soon for you to provide input, and we are also waiting for the legislature to conclude its special session, since among the potential budget cuts being considered is the elimination of the one remaining Learning Improvement Day. Please know that you have SEA and SESPA members, as well as administrators, on the Calendar Committee and Bargaining Teams, who are working to get our calendar determined as soon as possible. --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 4/15/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 5/3/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 5/6/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 3.30.10

2010-03-30T11:48:00.001-07:00

SEA President’s Report

March 30, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: SESPA Preparing for Negotiations, Legislative Update, NEWS Decision Appeal, RttT First Round Decision

Your Membership: WEA Special Education Boot Camp

Know Your Contract: Certification Reminder

On a Personal Note: Spring Break Envy

Education News

** SESPA (Shoreline Education Support Professionals Association) will be bargaining this spring, and a main focus will be trying to achieve a living wage for their members. If you haven’t seen the pink “Easter Bunny” flyer in your building (or you have and would like to view it in color), click here to read about the support our classified colleagues provide to our students and some of the issues they hope to address in negotiations. (Be sure to scroll to the second page of the PDF; and don’t be surprised that the first page is upside down. J) In the coming weeks and months, please stay tuned for ways that we can support SESPA members in their bargaining and organizing efforts.

** Governor Gregoire signed several education related bills into law this week, but we are still waiting for legislators to agree on a budget and a revenue package. The Governor has warned of potential 20 percent across-the-board cuts without new revenue. Details are available on the WEA website, including video footage from Monday’s bill-signing. Please continue to visit the OurVoice website and/or check the SEA Facebook page for ways that you can advocate for education funding.

** The State has decided to appeal the NEWS (Network for Excellence in Washington Schools) court ruling to the Washington State Supreme Court. It is expected that the case may be heard in September. The reaction of Tom Ahearne, NEWS’ lead attorney, pointed out the inherent contradiction in the State’s choice: "The State on one hand is cutting overall education funding," he said. "On the other hand, it's saying it has plenty of money to pay its lawyers to stall and delay. Our constitution is clear: education, not litigation, is the paramount duty of the State."

** The first round recipients of the federal Race to the Top (RttT) grants will be Delaware and Tennessee. Secretary Duncan made the final selections from 16 finalists out of 41 states who submitted proposals. The second round of applications will be due in June, and Washington State is expected to apply for a portion of the approximately $3.4 billion left in the RttT fund. For more details, check out these Washington Post and Education Week articles.

Your Membership

Three 5-day training sessions, often known as WEA’s Special Education Boot Camps, will be held this summer to provide information on the responsibilities of educators working with children with disabilities. Training dates are June 21-25 in Federal Way; July 12-16 in Spokane; and August 2-6 in Leavenworth. The trainings, presented by the WEA Special Education Cadre, are open to all school employees, parents, administrators and representatives from community agencies. Registration is $250 for the five-day session, and includes training materials, 30 clock hour credits and lunch each day. Three college credits through Seattle Pacific University will also be available for an additional fee. Spaces fill quickly. The registration deadline is June 15 -- and, the form can be found here. For more information, contact Janie Moxley at 800-622-3393, ext. 7074.

Know Your Contract

Please remember that in order to continue as a certificated employee in Shoreline, you must keep your Washington State teaching (or ESA) certificate current. Renewing your certification is your responsibility!

Check to see when your teaching certificate expires and be sure to keep current with your continuing education credit hour obligation, and/or “Pro-Teach” (formerly Pro-Cert) requirements and timelines. Do not wait until the last minute, as you might not be able to complete the requirements prior to the expiration date. If your certificate expires without timely renewal, you will be required to obtain new certification regardless of the type of certification you held previously. So, for example, if you have a teaching certificate that requires you to complete 150 continuing education clock hours (15 credit hours) every 5 years, failure to do so could result in the loss of your certificate and you would then need to meet the newer professional certification requirements imposed on beginning teachers. (Note: if you have a pre-August 1987 certificate, you do not need to renew.)

It’s important to know that OSPI does NOT send reminders, nor is the District required to send reminder letters to those with expiring certificates. Keeping track of this is your professional responsibility. Remember that all certificates now expire on June 30. If your certificate contains a date other than June 30, then your certificate will actually expire on June 30 of the year following your expiration. (For example, certificates containing an August 31, 2010 expiration date will actually expire on June 30, 2011.) Please understand that you may be removed from the classroom without pay if your certificate expires. Generally, Association leadership and staff work with Shoreline Human Resources to problem-solve solutions to certification problems when they arise, but every situation is different, so there are no guarantees. Don’t let it happen to you. If you don’t already have your certificate expiration date marked on your calendar, and a plan for renewal, please take some time in the next few weeks to get that done!

On a Personal Note… If you are anything like me, you’ve been feeling just a wee bit envious of our colleagues in other districts who are on spring break this week. However, remember that ours is on the way – and hopefully those extra few weeks will pay off in the form of sunnier weather for us (fingers crossed)! Also, keep in mind that many of the districts out this week did not have a full week for their mid-winter break, AND they will be coming back to work with two and a half months ahead of them with no break until the end of school! Yikes! So hang in there, remember that we have a committee of dedicated SEA members (and administrators, too) who do their best to thoughtfully craft a calendar that is based on your input and makes sense for our students and staff. Our break will come soon – promise! (And know that I’m giving myself this pep-talk, too.) Thanks for all you do for our students and colleagues each day, and remember to take care of yourselves, as well. --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 4/5/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 4/15/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 5/6/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Advocacy Alert 3.26.10 - ESEA Reauthorization

2010-03-26T12:50:00.001-07:00

SEA Members,

We’ve been active locally (with local bargaining, the recent bond and levy campaign, etc.) on the state level (emailing our state reps throughout the entire legislative session), and now it’s time for us to get involved on a national level.

Reauthorization of the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, what we know as NCLB—No Child Left Behind) has kicked into high gear. The Obama Administration has released a blueprint for reauthorization that has significant problems and raises serious concerns. Of particular concern are:

Continued emphasis on standardized testing and failure to allow for multiple measures of student learning
Teacher evaluations tied to student test scores
Mandated non-research-based turnaround models for struggling schools
Shift toward untested competitive programs
No mention of parent or family engagement
Insufficient efforts to address inequity and gaps in opportunity, tools, and resources

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified in both the House and Senate last week about the blueprint. National Education Association (NEA) President Dennis Van Roekel testified before several committees, including the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. You can watch a portion of Dennis Van Roekel’s testimony online, including his responses to questions from Sen. Patty Murray and others.

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU! When you get home today, or over the weekend, please use your HOME computer and PERSONAL email or phone to tell Congress to change the pieces of the blueprint that don't work for you and your students. Congress MUST understand that NEA’s members are serious – and that WE are the experts on public education!!

The U.S. House has set up an email account to allow you to send comments to all Representatives: eseacomments@mail.house.gov.

If I learn of a similar email address set up for the U.S. Senate, I will post it on the SEA News site. In the meantime, here is the contact information for our U.S. Senators, and for Rep. Jay Inslee, should you want to contact him directly.

Senator Patty Murray (D - WA)

DC Phone: 202-224-2621

Email: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

Senator Maria Cantwell (D - WA)

DC Phone: 202-224-3441

Email: http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Representative Jay Inslee (D - 01)

DC Phone: 202-225-6311

Email: http://www.house.gov/inslee/html/contact_jay.shtml

For a list of all members of Congress representing Washington State, click here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=ctc&state=wa

If you are looking for some examples of letters, or are interesting in exploring and debating this topic further, you might consider joining the Facebook group, Teachers’ Letters to Obama. You can also follow my updates on the SEA Facebook page, of course.

All of this information will be archived on the SEA News site for your convenience: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all you do!

Elizabeth

P.S. – Remember that all political advocacy must be done on your own time, using your own phone, computer and home email address. Thanks!

Elizabeth Beck

President, Shoreline Education Association

SEA President's Report 3.23.10

2010-03-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

SEA President’s Report

March 23, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Legislative session Update, National Core Standards Draft

Your Membership: SEA Bylaws Revision in Progress

Know Your Contract: April 2 – IDEA Stimulus Day

On a Personal Note: Sticking Together

Education News

** The 2010 Regular Legislative Session ended March 12, and legislators have gone into a special session to agree on a budget and a revenue package. To date, no compromise has been reached. Details are available on the WEA website. School districts and local associations across the state are waiting to know what budgets will be for next year, in order to determine staffing. In fact, WEA joined several other groups such as the Washington State PTA, WASA (Superintendents Association), WSSDA (School Directors Association), and the League of Education Voters to send a joint letter to legislators in support of our funding priorities. Please remember to visit the OurVoice website and/or check the SEA Facebook page for ways that you can continue to advocate for education funding.

** You may have heard that governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states (plus two territories and the District of Columbia) have been working to develop common core academic standards grades K-12. Part of the rationale for this lies in the fact that we have federally-mandated consequences for schools when their students do not meet standard (though “No Child Left Behind”), but every state is allowed to define for itself what constitutes meeting standard – which many believe has some states to lower their standards to avoid consequences for not meeting AYP. While reactions to the recently-released draft standards have been mixed, and there are debates about whether this is a productive direction for public education in general, the buy-in of the educational and political leaders of 48 states makes it a topic that we must take seriously. The draft standards are open for public comment until April 2nd, so this is your opportunity to view the draft standards and provide your professional feedback to help shape the outcome of this initiative.

Your Membership

During this month’s SEA building meeting, your SEA Building Reps will be asking you for input on draft revisions to the SEA Constitution & Bylaws, which have not been updated since 2003. Several changes are necessary to bring our governing documents in-line with WEA requirements and recommendations, and other revisions have been suggested by the SEA Executive Board that would bring our written procedures (and names for committees) up to date with current practice. Building Reps will bring your input with them to discuss the suggested revisions at the April SEA Rep. Council meeting. The SEA Executive Board and Rep. Council will then finalize recommended revisions in May, and voting on the proposed changes will occur at an SEA General Membership meeting (likely in June).

Know Your Contract

Just a reminder - Friday, April 2 is an IDEA federally-funded district in-service day. It was negotiated to provide a non-student professional development day in lieu of the Learning Improvement Day cut by the Legislature last year. Because it is being paid for with stimulus dollars, the use of the day must fall with the federally-mandated parameters for the use of those funds. Accordingly, the purpose of the day will be to:

- overview the major themes of RtI,

- establish common vocabulary and understanding areas and;

- discuss the benefits/barriers/challenges to RtI

Work on April 2nd is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Shoreline Center. It will begin with a whole group session in the theater, followed by break-out sessions, lunch (on your own), a second whole group session and building time. Sign up lists are posted should be posted in your buildings. Information about this day was also included in a previous issue of the SEA President’s Report.

Please remember that, while you are paid separately for this day (a lump sum on your April warrant), it is a mandatory work day, and you must take personal leave (or other leave provisions, like sick leave, as applicable), if you plan to be absent. Important note for part-time staff: the day is pro-rated by FTE, and if you are a part-time staff member, you must work that day, at your FTE (even if it is a day that you do not normally work), or take leave as per existing contract provisions. (This is because it is being paid for with the stimulus funds, so it cannot be ‘flexed’ in conjunction with other non-student days.)

On a Personal Note… It is difficult, if not impossible, to go a day without seeing yet another article in the news “blaming” teachers – or teachers unions - for all that some people perceive is wrong with public education. Between that battering, and our seemingly constant struggle for funding at both the state and national level, it’s easy to become disheartened – which heightens our very real exhaustion, given all that we do for students and families day in and day out. As you are grabbing yet another cup of coffee (or tea, or chocolate!), remember that you are not alone. Educators across the country are fighting the same battles…some, as recent news from Florida indicates, even more dire than ours. We will get through this by sticking together, and reasserting ourselves as the experts on education. Business leaders may have been to school – that doesn’t mean they know how to run one effectively, much less teach anything! If you need a feel-good moment, read this Open Letter to Arne Duncan by Walt Gardner. It is short, and highlights the fact that we can’t solve the nation’s problems all by ourselves – and that countries that outperform the U.S. on international tests don’t expect their teachers to do so. Another great read is NEA Vice-President Lily Eskelsen’s latest blog post, The Science of Making Up Stuff. So, give yourself kudos for the amazing work that you do every day, try to stay healthy and rested, and remember that if we want to make sure that all students have access to a great public education, we must continue advocating for what we know is right. Our students are counting on us. Thanks for all you do! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 4/5/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 4/15/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 5/6/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 3.9.10

2010-03-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

SEA President’s Report

March 9, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Legislative Session Ends Thursday, 2010 Census Approaching, HealthQuotient Incentive

Your Membership: SEA Elections Results

Know Your Contract: Non-Student Days & Professional Development

On a Personal Note: No President’s Report Next Week

Education News

** The 2010 Legislative Session is scheduled to end this Thursday, March 11, and there is still no agreement on a supplemental budget. Please be sure to visit the OurVoice website today and tomorrow -- urge lawmakers to protect funding for public education in the budget, and ask them to agree on fair and reasonable revenue solutions to mitigate the worst of the cuts. (And remember to do this on your own time, using your personal computer and email address – that’s why OurVoice is not linked above. There is a link on the SEA News page, if you need it at home.) Updated information about this and other WEA legislative priorities can be found on the WEA website. Many thanks to SEA members Veronica Cook, Amanda Findley, and Pat Valle, who joined me in Olympia last week to advocate on behalf of Shoreline’s educators and students!

** This month, forms for the 2010 census will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. The U.S. Census - in theory - counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. In reality, it is challenging to account for every resident for a variety of reasons, so it is important to participate and remind others to do so, as well. The 2010 Census will determine the allocation of more than $400 billion per year in federal funds for things like: hospitals, job training centers, schools, public works projects, and emergency services. Census data also helps determine the number of seats states have in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also, if you are interested in teaching your students about the census, there are resources available online.

** This year’s WEA Select Health Management Program theme is “Elevate your sense of well-being.” Whether you want to lose weight, reduce stress, or simply be more aware of your health, the WebMD® HealthQuotient online health assessment can give you detailed advice on how to focus on your time and energy for the best results. The first 10,000 eligible plan participants that complete the assessment by April 11 will receive a $50 incentive check. All Premera enrollees and their dependents (age 18 years and over) are eligible to participate, even if you participated in the program last year. The online assessment takes less than 20 minutes to complete and is completely confidential. You will receive your own health report and may qualify for free health coaching. To get started, go to www.premera.com/wea and click on the “Take the WebMD® HealthQuotient” banner near the top of the page.

Your Membership

Here are the results of this year’s SEA Elections. Many thanks to our Nominations and Elections Co-Chairs, Liz Hebgen & Jodi Steele, and to our SEA Building Reps, for their work on conducting this year’s elections!

SEA Officers and Executive Board Members-at-Large (new term begins this summer):

President: Elizabeth Beck

Vice-President: Amanda Findley (PW)

Secretary: Michelle Ramey (BKS)

Member-at-Large: Eric Scaia (SW)

Member-at-Large: Melissa Walsh (RNCS)

SEA Delegates to the 2010 WEA Representative Assembly in Spokane:

Elizabeth Beck

Veronica Cook

Tim Nelson

Michelle Ramey

Heather Stipulkosky

Pat Valle

SEA Delegates to the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly in New Orleans:

Elizabeth Beck

Amanda Findley

Know Your Contract

Article 17 of our CBA addresses Non-Student Workdays. As a reminder, March 12 is an Individual workday, governed by the language in Section 17.2 below. During our last round of negotiations, the designation of separate “Grading” days was eliminated. However, SEA and the District agreed that the days formerly set aside for grading would still be protected from intrusion, meaning that “optional” professional development may not be offered on those days, so that people do not feel torn about attending training vs. completing report cards. This Friday is the ‘I’ day between trimesters for elementary and middle school, and is therefore ‘protected’ so that focus can be on grading. There may be optional professional development offered for high school level certificated staff, however, should individuals choose to participate. As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact Donna Lurie or Elizabeth Beck at the SEA office, 425-486-7101.

17.2 Individual Time. Individually-directed time shall be used to improve student learning as planned and directed by the individual certificated employee. Examples of activities which employees may choose to engage in on these days include, but are not limited to, classroom and workspace preparation, instruction and curriculum planning, student assessment, department, grade level and collegial planning, personally-directed professional development, grading and report card preparation and parent and student communication. During individually-directed time, the District may not require employees to attend any mandatory meetings or professional development. During fifty percent (50%) of the individually-directed time occurring prior to the start of the student school year, and during individually-directed time not scheduled at or near the end of a grading period (i.e., the days between the trimesters for elementary and middle school, the day between semesters for high school, and the day in June for all levels), the District may offer optional professional development. This time is not to be used for any required curriculum/assessment/program trainings or administratively-directed meetings.

On a Personal Note… Next week, there will not be an SEA President’s Report, as I will be working out of the office (in St. Louis, MO, actually) on behalf of NCATE, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. I will be checking email and voicemail when possible, but if you have an urgent issue and need immediate assistance, please contact Donna Lurie (contact information below). In the interim, please be sure to check the SEA Facebook page and/or Twitter feed for any breaking news. Thanks for all you do! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 3/15/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 3/18/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 4/1/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 3.2.10

2010-03-02T15:13:00.001-08:00

SEA President’s Report

March 2, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Shoreline Support Person of the Year, Shoreline Teacher of the Year Nominations, Olympia Update, Cultural Education Exchange

Your Membership: Struggling Schools

Know Your Contract: Cyber-Bulling Prevention

On a Personal Note: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Education News

** Congratulations to Brenda Smithers, Shoreline’s 2010 Support Person of the Year! You can read more about Brenda’s amazing work in Shoreline’s Occupational and Physical Therapy Department on the District website. In addition, next week, March 8-12, is designated as Support Staff Appreciation Week, in recognition of the amazing work our classified colleagues do every day. Please remember to take a moment next week to say thanks to the support staff you work with and let them know how appreciated they are!

** Please consider nominating a colleague for 2009-10 Shoreline Teacher of the Year. Nominations may be made by staff, students, parents, and other community members. Only a single nomination letter is required. Nomination forms are available on the District website. Nominations are due in the Public Information Office at Shoreline Center by Friday, March 12, 2010. Contact Craig Degginger at 206-361-4412 if you have any questions about the form and process.

** Remember that the latest news from Olympia can be found on the WEA website. While there are many education-related bills that WEA leaders and staff are monitoring, most of our attention is focused once again on the budget. Several SEA and SESPA members are headed to Olympia this Friday to urge legislators to protect education funding and reduce the proposed cuts. The last day of the legislative session is scheduled for March 11.

** Annual Cultural Education Exchange: You are invited to join colleagues from across the region at the Skokomish Longhouse on March 20 for a gathering of Western Washington tribes, WEA UniServ councils and school boards, to discuss cultural awareness and common goals in education, politics and policies for the betterment of all children. You can receive five clock hours through Shelton School District by attending this important event. You may RSVP and request more detailed information by sending an e-mail here. The RSVP deadline is Friday, March 12th.

Your Membership

Many of you have likely heard about the mass firing of the teachers and staff at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. This article on the NEA website provides some additional information and context about that situation. At the risk of oversimplifying…in order to be eligible for certain federal funds, primarily targeted at improving struggling schools, states are required to identify the lowest performing five percent of their schools. School districts must then choose one of four models for “improving” those schools. The four options are:

1. Turnaround – firing the principal and staff; allowing no more than 50 percent of the existing staff to be rehired; replacing the rest with “highly effective” teachers.

2. Restart – converting the school to a charter school or using an education management organization.

3. Closing the school – transferring all students to other schools in the district.

4. Transformation – mandates: replacing the principal; implementing a rigorous, research-based curricula; increasing learning time; using student data to inform and differentiate instruction; providing appropriate socio-emotional supports; evaluating teachers using a multi-measure evaluation tool; rewarding school leaders, teachers, and staff who have increased student achievement and removing those who have not.

NEA and WEA are urging school officials in this position to use the Transformation model and bargain with their local education associations to agree on provisions that achieve the required criteria. However, even this option is not ideal, and several local districts and EAs are struggling with what many perceive as a lack of awareness of – and severe disruption to – the progress they are already making to improve. Marysville superintendent Larry Nyland discussed this yesterday in a brief interview on KUOW. This Friday is the deadline for affected school districts in Washington to submit their plans, if they have one of the “lowest five percent” schools, so in the next few weeks, we will know more about how this issue will affect our colleagues across the state.

Know Your Contract

Appendix L – MOU on Harassment/Misconduct Involving Technology is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in our CBA that 1) requires the District to provide employees with guidelines for what to do if they experience or suspect inappropriate use of technology (including cyberbullying), and 2) provides for a SEA-District committee to meet annually to review and make recommendations on the District’s policies, procedures, and practices related to the protection of employees and students from harassment/misconduct involving technology.

The Cyber-bullying Committee met recently, and asked that some of last year’s committee work be shared with you again. The first is a collection of online resources related to cyber-bullying and internet safety in general; you can access those links here (be sure to scroll down; they’re near the bottom of the page). The second is a “Tip Sheet for Staff” on what to do if you suspect or experience cyber-bullying; you can view that here.

As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact Donna Lurie or Elizabeth Beck at the SEA office, 425-486-7101.

On a Personal Note… Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss! It's NEA's Read Across America week and more than 45 million readers across the nation are joining in the nation's largest reading celebration. This is the thirteenth year for NEA's signature literacy event. Looking for ways to celebrate? Check out the NEA website or Seussville. Thanks for all you do! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 3/4/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 3/15/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 3/18/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA President's Report 2.23.10

2010-02-25T09:13:00.001-08:00

SEA President’s Report

February 23, 2010

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Bond & Levy Results, Olympia Update, Social Networking & Education, Dues & Taxes Reminder

Your Membership: SEA & WEA Elections This Week

Know Your Contract: IDEA Stimulus Day – April 2

On a Personal Note: Looking for SEA Information

Education News

** THANK YOU for your campaign efforts and support of Shoreline’s Bond and Levy measures! Results will be official tomorrow at noon, but all measures are passing by safe margins. Current results are: M & O Levy -- 70.37%, Tech Levy -- 65.86%, and Bond – 62.46%. Great news for the future of Shoreline’s students!

** Remember that the latest news from Olympia can be found on the WEA website. Today, much attention is focused on the budget. Neither the Governor’s latest budget proposal, nor the Senate’s (released this morning), include funding for I-728 or K-4 class size reduction. The House budget released this afternoon eliminates the remainder of I-728, but makes only a minor decrease in K-4 class size funding. All three proposed budgets include substantial cuts as well as new revenue from various different sources. In the coming weeks, these three disparate budgets must be negotiated into one that can be passed by both houses and signed by the Governor. Please be on the lookout for an SEA Advocacy Alert later this week with more legislative information and advocacy opportunities!

** If you have not checked the list of upcoming professional development classes being offered by the Shoreline SD, you should! There have been a number of new courses added this year. One in particular may be of interest to those of you who either already use (or are thinking about using) social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Adapting to Change: Use of Social Networking Tools in Education will address topics such as: walking the line between professional and personal use of social networks, accessing social networking tools to promote professional development and networking, and ways that social networking tools can be used in 21st Century learning activities by students. The National School Board Association found in a survey conducted in 2007 that 60% of students who are active in online social networks talk about educational topics online and more than 50% talk specifically about their school work. I suspect those percentages may have increased since then, and certainly the number of students using social networks in growing substantially. This is a great opportunity to learn more about this increasingly important topic. The class will be held March 1 & 16, 2010, 4:30 - 6:00 PM, and you can register online.

**Just a reminder that Association dues information was included in the SEA President’s Report several weeks ago, for those of you who were looking for it as you complete your taxes. You can still access it online.

Your Membership

SEA and WEA elections are happening in your building this week! Below are links to candidate statements for the open positions. Your SEA Building Rep(s) will communicate with you about the election logistics for your school, so please contact them if you have questions. Please vote!

SEA Officers and Executive Board: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Members-at-Large

SEA Delegates to the WEA and NEA Representative Assemblies

Cascade UniServ State Delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly

Cascade UniServ Council Representatives on the WEA Board of Directors

Know Your Contract

IDEA Stimulus Day - As you recall, last year the legislature cut one of the two state Learning Improvement Days (LIDs) from the budget. SEA and the Shoreline SD agreed during bargaining to fund that day for this year (and next year, if funds remain available) through federal IDEA stimulus funds. The Memorandum of Understanding outlining this agreement is copied below. An agenda for the April 2nd non-student day is being planned by the Instruction department to align with IDEA requirements.

Please note that this day is paid at per diem, and payment for it will be made in a lump sum (right now, planned for the April warrant). Also important to note for part-time staff: the day is pro-rated by FTE, and if you are a part-time staff member, you must work that day, at your FTE (even if it is a day that you do not normally work), or take leave as per existing contract provisions. (This is because it is being paid for with the stimulus funds, so it cannot be ‘flexed’ in conjunction with other non-student days.)

As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact Donna Lurie or Elizabeth Beck at the SEA office, 425-486-7101.

APPENDIX N - IDEA STIMULUS DAYS

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

For the 2009-10 school year, the District shall provide employees one (1) mandatory nonstudent work day on April 2, 2010, at the employee’s per diem rate of pay. The length of the work day shall be pro-rated by the employee’s FTE. Activities on this day shall be planned by the District to fit within the permissible uses of federal IDEA stimulus funds. Leaves for absences on this day will be granted in accordance with the leave provisions of this Agreement.

Provided that federal IDEA stimulus funds continue to be available, and that the State does not restore funding for a second Learning Improvement Day, the District shall offer the IDEA Stimulus Day for the 2010-11 school year on the correlating April 2011 date, under the same terms and conditions identified in the paragraph above.

On a Personal Note… Please remember that, in addition to accessing our CBA online, the SEA News site is a great resource for finding information that you may need. Along the left-hand side is a section for “Labels” that has multiple topics listed in alphabetical order for searching. So, for example, if you were looking for information about dues information for tax purposes, you could click on the label “Taxes” or the label “Dues” and it would take you to the President’s Report containing that information. Ditto for information about leaves of absence, continuing education, benefits, assessments, and the list goes on! Hopefully this is a helpful resource for you, since (as much as I would like for you to) sometimes you may not read everything in each week’s Report. :-) Thanks for all you do! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 2/25/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 3/1/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 3/4/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Advocacy Alert 2.10.10 - Bond & Levy Results

2010-02-25T09:06:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: As of yesterday, Feb. 24, Shoreline's Bond & Levy election results were official. All three measures passed. (Maintenance & Operations Levy - 70.35%, Technology Levy - 65.86%, Bond - 62.47%) Thanks again, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park voters!

SEA Advocacy Alert – February 10, 2010

Topic: Initial Results Are Looking Good (And Hopefully Legislators Will Take Note!)

SEA Members,

Initial bond and levy results were posted at 8:15 PM last night. Both levies appear to be passing by comfortable margins -- thanks to the efforts of many of you, along with parents, students, and administrators! (Initial Results: Maintenance & Operations Levy - 68%, Technology Levy - 64%)

The bond to modernize/replace Shorecrest and Shorewood High Schools is also passing, but by a much closer margin, due to the 60% supermajority requirement. Current, preliminary results show a 60.8% approval. Results will be updated again today at 4:30 PM, with final results posted Feb. 24th at noon. Keep thinking positive!

I will continue to update the SEA Facebook page as results come in over the next few days; you can also check them yourself on the King County Elections website.

Hopefully our legislators are taking note of the fact that the vast majority of school district levies and bonds on yesterday’s ballot are passing – and most by comfortable margins! This means that voters understand that public education is so important that they are willing to maintain, or even raise, their own taxes to fund it! Now it’s the legislature’s turn to step up and do the right thing. Please join me at the Protect Our Future Rally on President’s Day to tell them so! You can register online.

WEA is a key player in a wide-ranging revenue coalition - Rebuilding our Economic Future - advocating for our legislators and Gov. Gregoire to make the right choice and choose new revenue over devastating cuts in education, health care and social services.

WEA members and other public school supporters are meeting at 10:00 AM on Feb. 15th to make signs and socialize before heading to the state capitol steps at noon. Details are on the WEA OurVoice website.

Hope to see you there!

Elizabeth

P.S. – Remember that all political advocacy must be done on your own time, using your own phone, computer and home email address. I know you know this, but a reminder never hurts.

Elizabeth Beck

President, Shoreline Education Association

Vote YES for Shoreline Schools!

SEA President's Report 2.9.10

2010-02-09T12:02:00.001-08:00

SEA President’s Report

February 9, 2010 ---- Election Day!!

Archived issues of this Report and other information about the Shoreline Education Association can be found at: http://shorelineea.blogspot.com/

In this issue….

Education News: Remember to Vote, NEWS Update, Olympia Reminder

Your Membership: SEA & WEA Elections Approaching

Know Your Contract: Staffing Survey Due Tomorrow

On a Personal Note: Protect Our Future Rally on President’s Day

Education News

** Please remember to VOTE! Remind family, friends and neighbors to do so, as well! Ballots must be postmarked by today. If you miss the last mail pick-up in Shoreline, the nearest ballot drop-box for King County voters is in downtown Seattle.

** As most of you are aware, last Thursday, Judge John Erlick ruled in NEWS' favor on all elements of the coalition’s lawsuit against the State of Washington. The court declared the State out of compliance with the Constitution and ordered the Legislature to determine the actual cost of providing an ample education to all K-12 students and to determine a stable and reliable source of funding. “This court is left with no doubt that under the State’s current financing system the State is failing in its constitutional duty,” Judge Erlick stated. To illustrate, if you’d like to see the difference in what it costs the Shoreline School District to educate our students and what the state funds, click here. The judge also dismissed the state’s argument that the legislature has ‘solved’ the problem through the promises made on HB 2261 to fund education by 2018: “(The State) cannot avoid the question of whether it is currently complying with its legal duty under Article IX, Section 1 by stating its intent to correct a legal violation sometime in the future.” More details are available online.

SEA and the Shoreline School District joined many other districts, EAs, and community groups as part of NEWS (Network for Excellence in Washington Schools), which will continue as a coalition throughout the course of the litigation (an appeal is, of course, a distinct possibility) and the enforcement of the judge's ruling. At the NEWS meeting last Friday, grassroots education, organizing, and advocacy were identified as critical to ensuring that the Legislature and Governor adhere to the court's order to immediately make "real and measurable progress" in determining the actual cost of amply providing for the education of all students and establishing a stable, dependable State funding source to pay those costs.

** Remember that the latest news from Olympia can be found on the WEA website. And of course, the WEA OurVoice member website also has a wealth of information and advocacy opportunities (which is why it’s not hyperlinked here, but you can always find a link on the SEA News site).

Your Membership

It’s election time! Yes, although our bond and levy election wraps up today, when we return from mid-winter break, it will be time to conduct SEA and WEA elections. Below are links to candidate statements for the open positions. Your SEA Building Rep(s) will communicate with you about the election logistics for your school. Please be sure to vote!

SEA Officers and Executive Board: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Members-at-Large

SEA Delegates to the WEA and NEA Representative Assemblies

Cascade UniServ State Delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly

Cascade UniServ Council Representatives on the WEA Board of Directors

Know Your Contract

Just a reminder that tomorrow, February 10, is the deadline for returning the staffing survey sent out by Patti Weidkamp last month. If you are considering a change to your current job status, be sure to review the relevant CBA provisions carefully: Shared Contract (Job-Shares) – Article 21; Employee Requested Transfers – Article 24; Withdrawal From Contract – Article 37; Leaves of Absence – Article 40. If you are not anticipating a change, no action is necessary. As always, if you would like to discuss your options confidentially prior to contacting Human Resources, feel free to contact Donna Lurie or Elizabeth Beck at the SEA office, 425-486-7101.

On a Personal Note… It’s hard to believe that mid-winter break is nearly here already! I hope that you are able to spend time with family and friends, and get some well-deserved rest. I also hope that, if you are in town next week, you will join me on Monday (President’s Day) in Olympia for the Protect Our Future Rally. Additional information and links were included in an SEA Advocacy Alert last week (archived on the SEA News site), and you may have received emails about it from WEA, as well. You can register on the OurVoice website, and I’ll send out an Advocacy Alert reminder later this week. If you have questions for me about this event, be sure to send them from your home email address. Monday’s rally is an incredible opportunity to join forces with other groups and send a clear message to the Governor and Legislators that they must raise revenue – now and in the future. Washington students and families do not deserve an all-cuts budget. Thanks for all you do, and have a great break! --- Elizabeth

Coming Up

SEA Rep. Council Meeting: Thursday, 2/25/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

Shoreline School Board Meeting: Monday, 3/1/10, 7:00 PM, Board Room, SLC

SEA Executive Board Meeting: Thursday, 3/4/10, 4:15 – 6:00 PM, Alumni Room, SLC

SEA Advocacy Alert --- The Verdict Is In!

2010-02-05T22:50:00.000-08:00

SEA Advocacy Alert – February 4, 2010

Topic: The Verdict Is In -- Now We Need the Revenue to Make It Happen!

SEA Members,

Today is an exciting day! The verdict in the NEWS (Network for Excellence in Washington Schools) court case is in! Judge John Erlick ruled in NEWS' favor on all elements of the coalition’s lawsuit against the State of Washington. The court declared the State out of compliance with the Constitution and ordered the Legislature to determine the actual cost of providing an ample education to all K-12 students and to determine a stable and reliable source of funding. More details about the ruling will be posted soon on the NEWS website, and I will keep you posted as I learn more.

While this is great news (pun intended), we all know the state of the State budget (sorry, just can’t help myself – it’s been an exciting morning!). In all seriousness, though, our legislators must find the courage to find new revenue to fund public education – as well as social services and other vital infrastructure! This is not an easy task for elected leaders, however, so our task is to push them to do so – and to help build public awareness of how critical is the need.

Right now, our first task is to advocate for new revenue to avoid the worst of the education funding cuts in this year’s supplemental budget. How can you help? Please attend the Feb. 15 Revenue Rally in Olympia – register online! WEA is a key player in a wide-ranging revenue coalition - Rebuilding our Economic Future - that is urging lawmakers to pass a fair and humane supplemental budget. This means advocating for our legislators and Gov. Gregoire to make the right choice and choose new revenue over devastating cuts in education, health care and social services.

WEA members and other public school supporters are meeting at 10:00 AM on Feb. 15th to make signs and socialize before heading to the state capitol steps at noon. Register on the WEA OurVoice website. We expect more than 5,000 people to rally in support of revenue over cuts.

Yes, Feb 15th is President’s Day, and yes, it’s a holiday, and yes, we are on break. The good news is that, as a result, it’s a day when many of you may be available to attend! Have your kids at home with you that week? Bring them! Barring really horrible weather, my three-year-old daughter will be going to Olympia with me that day – because this is her future, too! Please join us.

Remember to visit OurVoice for a whole list of revenue and budget-related materials, including posters, education fact sheets and YouTube videos – and of course, to register for the Revenue Rally on Feb. 15th. Hope to see you there!

Thanks for all you do!

Elizabeth

P.S. – Remember that all political advocacy must be done on your own time, using your own phone, computer and home email address. I know you know this, but a reminder never hurts.

Elizabeth Beck

President, Shoreline Education Association

Vote YES for Shoreline Schools!