ISEA HOTLINE--February 28, 2013

Attend your local legislative forums this weekend! Last week the House passed HF 215, which includes their amendments to the Governor's Education Proposal.

A summary of the bill is located in the Legislative Action Center on isea.org under the Updates tab. The House version only provides 2 percent allowable growth; lowers the minimum teacher salary to $32,000; takes peer review out of the bargaining process; requires principals to do annual summative evaluations; and allows schools to opt out of the Teacher and Career Leadership Pathway.

 Here are the questions you need to ask your legislators at the forums in your area this weekend:

Education Votes--February 23, 2013

President Obama honors Newtown, Conn., educator heroes

"They gave their lives to protect the precious children in their care. They gave all they had for the most innocent and helpless among us." - President Obama

WI Gov. Walker delivers a blow to public education, takes aim at schools and working families...again

"Parents, teachers, education support professionals, school board members and administrators see past the lip-service and recognize that flat-lining public school funding while at the same time expanding taxpayer funding for private schools will harm neighborhood public schools." - Mary Bell, junior high library media specialist and WEAC president

Lawmakers prepare for hearing on school safety

More debate and discussion on gun violence and school safety is expected on Capitol Hill next week. Click through to find out more and let us know what you want to say to lawmakers.

Wisconsin teacher fights for his students and immigration reform

72 percent of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million aspiring citizens living in the United States. Increasingly, there is bipartisan support for DREAMer students and comprehensive immigration reform from congressional Democrats as well as prominent Republicans.

Visit our "Kids Not Cuts!" topic page for all the latest info on the fight against across the board cuts and what you can do to get involved.

URGENT: IF CONGRESS FAILS TO ACT, EDUCATION FACES MORE CUTS IN JUST ONE WEEK!

Walking off the “fiscal cliff” would be an absolute disgrace. The innocent, most vulnerable, and neediest among us would be devastated. I understand that coming to a consensus is difficult. But our representatives in Congress are adults who know how to fend for themselves, not innocent children who need all the support they can get. Put ideologies and party stances aside. Do the right thing. Stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. — NEA member from Illinois

 Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, economists, and educators agree: across-the-board cuts — “sequestration” in Washington-speak — is a terrible idea. Yet some in Congress seem willing to let them happen.

Next week, Congress returns from recess and unless it acts, automatic across-the-board cuts will begin March 1. We expect votes in the Senate as early as Wednesday, including a plan from Democratic leaders to raise new revenue from the very wealthy and profitable corporations instead of making indiscriminate cuts.

Now is the time to pull out all the stops — Contact Congress immediately! Personalize the impact of the cuts with real-life stories like those submitted by your fellow educators.

DEMAND ACTION TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE

Millions across the nation continue to demand stronger, sensible measures to prevent gun violence and keep our children and communities safe. But it will be very difficult to pass even common-sense measures that most Americans support — for example, criminal background checks for all gun purchases. We must keep up the drumbeat to succeed!

NEA supports a multi-pronged approach to curbing the gun violence plaguing our nation. In addition to stronger laws to limit access to weapons of war, we advocate:

• Enhancing school safety while giving local districts the flexibility to decide what they need — counselors, nurses, or other personnel.

• Providing professional development for all school staff in cultural competence, conflict management, and anti-bullying initiatives.

• Expanding and improving mental health services.

SPEAK UP FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

NEA’s priorities for comprehensive immigration reform include providing a path to legal citizenship, promoting family unity, and passing the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for talented young people who were brought to this country as children. Read NEA’s letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on this issue.

TAKE ACTION TODAY!

• E-mail your Members of Congress — Tell them to act swiftly, in a bipartisan manner, and enact comprehensive immigration reform.

CHEERS AND JEERS

Cheers to:

	House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for holding the hearing at which NEA member Megan Allen testified to the havoc across-the-board cuts would wreak on her students.
	Representatives Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), and John Sarbanes (D-MD) for their support for stopping the looming cuts.

Every Child Counts

The past two weeks of session were quite busy. Here is a recap of some of the most notable happenings related to kids and their families.

Last week, the HHS Budget SubCommittee heard presentations on Medicaid expansion which is a pretty hot topic at the Capitol right now. And, this week, the SubCommittee heard from 1st Five.

You can download the presentations below:

DHS - Medicaid Expansion Presentation
DHS - Iowa Care Presentation
1st Five

CLICK READ MORE below and read about specific EDUCATION and STUDENT/CHILDREN legislation.

Duncan Blasts Congress Over Sequestration Cuts.

USA Today (2/21, Toppo) reports, "Education Secretary Arne Duncan came out swinging Thursday, directing his harshest words at congressional lawmakers before what he calls 'increasingly likely' mandatory spending cuts for 'real kids, real teachers and real classrooms' from sequestration this March." Duncan told reporters that districts are already laying off teachers in anticipation of sequestration cuts, and "blamed what he called 'the height of dysfunction' in Congress." USA Today quotes him saying, "There's no one in their right mind who would say this is good for kids and good for the country, yet somehow it becomes tenable in Washington. I just think people don't spend enough time in the real world. And if we spent more time in the real world, we wouldn't have this kind of intransigence here." The article notes that the Administration has estimated that some $725 million in Title I funding and $598 million in special education funding would be eliminated if sequestration takes place.

The Washington Post (2/22, Brown) reports that Duncan "criticized Congress for failing to reach a deal to stop the across-the-board cuts...which could force thousands of teachers out of their jobs." Noting that most of the roughly $1.3 billion in education funding in jeopardy "goes toward programs for poor children and students with disabilities," the Post adds that "schools that receive more federal aid - including Department of Defense-run schools and those on Indian reservations - are likely to feel the squeeze immediately, which could mean shorter school weeks in spring or a shorter school year." The Post quotes Duncan saying, "These are two populations that we owe more to, not less, and those cuts are going to kick in quicker."

ISEA HOTLINE--February 15, 2013

Iowa House Education Committee amends Governor's education proposal
Late Wednesday night the Iowa House Education Committee passed House File 215, a 38-page strike and replace amendment to the Governor's education proposal. Major changes include setting the minimum teacher salary at $32,000, which is $3000 lower than the Governor's originally proposed $35,000 minimum starting salary and allowing schools to opt out of the Career and Compensation Matters provisions. Those provisions pay for stipends for teachers who would become Model, Mentor, or Lead teachers. As written, HF 215 would also not provide additional resources to those districts who opt out of the Career and Compensation Matters provision in order for them to raise the minimum salary. No play, no pay.

Additionally, HF 215 replaces the peer review structure created by SF 2284, last year's education reform proposal, with an annual evaluation conducted by an administrator, thus completely eliminating the opportunity for peer feedback and reflection. Please note that this is only a proposed change presented by the House Republicans. It does not affect existing statute which calls for peer review for the upcoming school year.
It is very important to remember that this is only the first offering by the House Republicans. This bill does not reflect the goals and objectives of the entire legislature including the Senate, which is controlled by a pro-public education majority. This bill will be eligible for debate in the House as early as Tuesday of next week and we will continue to update you on its movement.

Allowable GrowthThe pro-public education majority in the Iowa Senate, voted today to set the Allowable Growth rate for the 2014/2015 school year at 4 percent, which would provide an additional $114 million to Iowa schools for FY 2015. The vote in the Senate fell along party lines with all Democrats voting yes, and all Republicans present voting no. We would like to say thank you to the Senate Democrats for following the law and setting Allowable Growth for FY 15 in a reasonable and timely fashion. The bills, along with Allowable Growth for FY 2014, have all now been sent to the House, where they await action.
Take Action Now!
There are two things you need to do right now.

Attend legislative forums in your area and write to your legislators on Allowable Growth and House File 215.

When you talk with your Legislators, explain what this means for your students and your community. If this proposed Legislation would affect the bargaining of your contracts and your school's ability to budget, tell your Legislators about those consequences. Take positive action and let your Representatives know how this affects you!  

February 7--KIDS NOT CUTS--NEA National Call In Day

LCEA Colleagues,

Thanks to some of your hard work, we've made progress in the fight against the "fiscal cliff" cuts to education, but we're not in the clear yet. That's why this Thursday NEA members from across the country, as well as supporters from hundreds of other organizations, will be taking part in a National Call-In Day against education funding cuts.

Call 1-866-293-7278 on Thursday, February 7 to be connected to your members of congress and urge them to support Kids Not Cuts!

At a minimum, education could still be hit with a cut of more than $3 billion this year. That's a scary prospect for educators like Marian from California, who shared her Kids Not Cuts story with us through our Education Votes website:

"We have class sizes over 40, no libraries, no computer labs, one nurse for 5,000 students and no music or art in our district. That is not what is needed to educate our students. Restoring funding is crucial and must happen, now!"

ISEA Talking Points--Governor's Education Reform Plan

The ISEA continues to support education reforms that are designed to improve student learning, expand educational opportunities, and enhance the educational environment in our state. Because we are deeply committed to the success of every Iowa child, we will only support reform efforts that put students at the center.

In order for any new education initiative to be successful it must be fully funded and must only be implemented once the regular program funding needs of local school districts are met. As such, ISEA will advocate for setting the Allowable Growth rate before the funding of any new initiative is discussed.

The ISEA will continue to review the Governor’s proposal, ask clarifying questions, and represent the concerns of our members in this critical debate. After a first look at the Governor’s legislative proposal, these are the basic concepts and ideas that are important to consider:

Sequestration and its Impact on Education

The White House has released its plan explaining how the sequester’s mandatory spending cuts to defense and domestic spending will be implemented in 2013. Here’s the background on what the sequester is, how it happened and what happens from here:
What is the sequester?

It’s a package of automatic spending cuts that’s part of the Budget Control Act (BCA), which was passed in August 2011. The cuts, which are projected to total $1.2 trillion, are scheduled to begin in 2013 and end in 2021, evenly divided over the nine-year period. The cuts are also evenly split between defense spending — with spending on wars exempt — and discretionary domestic spending, which exempts most spending on entitlements like Social Security and Medicaid, as the Bipartisan Policy Center explains. The total cuts for 2013 will be $109 billion, according to the new White House report.

Under the BCA, the cuts were triggered to take effect beginning Jan. 1 if the supercommittee didn’t to agree to a $1.2 trillion deficit-reduction package by Nov. 23, 2011. The group failed to reach a deal, so the sequester was triggered.

TO READ MORE ON SEQUESTRATION'S EFFECTS ON EDUCATION CLICK HERE or enter this into your browser http://www.nea.org/home/52610.htm

FOR MORE ON SEQUESTRATION, CLICK READ MORE BELOW

What Losing the Legislature Means to More of Our Friends--Kansas Educators Likely to Pay a Heavy Price

Kansas Legislature Mulls Bill To Limit Teacher Union Rights.

LCEA NOTE: We frequently ask our members to commit to involving themselves in coffees, writing legislators and more. Kansas teachers--who came to Pottawattamie County several times to help with Election 2012--are likely to lose many hard-fought gains because both chambers and the Governor's office are now filled with anti-public-education policy makers. Please answer the call to help us in this session. We are truly "one Gronstal" away from Wisconsin.

The Topeka Capital-Journal (1/29, Llopis-Jepsen) reports that a committee of the Kansas state House is considering legislation to "limit the negotiating rights of teachers unions and strip them of their status as exclusive bargaining units. The amendments to the Professional Negotiations Act would allow teachers who aren't part of their local unions to negotiate contracts individually or in other groups." The measure would remove teacher assessments from the "list of negotiable items," along with "the length of classes and number of periods per day."

KCTV-TV Kansas City, MO (1/30, McCallister, Lee) reports online that the bill "would change the way schools could negotiate contracts with teachers," adding that legislators "have proposed bills targeting public sector unions and Tuesday focused on teachers." Noting that teachers and other education stakeholders are protesting the bill, the article quotes a local teachers union leader saying, "They're going to try and silence our political voice."

Think Politics Don't Matter? Take a Look at Your Paycheck

Payroll Tax Holiday Ends, Hits Take Home Pay

January 07, 2013| By Harold Brubaker, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer

Despite all the drama leading up to New Year's Day, the tax deal signed Thursday by President Obama did virtually nothing to change the trajectory of the U.S. government's debt-laden finances.

The deal raised some taxes, but not enough to prevent the slow starvation of federal programs to help the poor and elderly, according to advocates for such programs.

By leaving spending cuts off the table for the most part, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 set up what is sure to be an ugly fight over raising the nation's debt limit by early March.

In the meantime, all wage-earners will see 2 percent less money in their paychecks, because the law did nothing to prevent the end of the so-called payroll tax holiday.

CLICK READ MORE to answer some questions and answers on key aspects of the law:

The Seven Most Surprising Findings of the 2012 PDK/Gallup Poll on Public Schools

by Learning First Alliance on August 23, 2012 8:15 AM

By William J. Bushaw, Ph.D., Executive Director of PDK International

As co-director of the PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, I anxiously await the results each year. It never fails. I am always surprised by what Americans think about their public schools — and this year is no different. So here you are — the seven most surprising findings of the 2012 PDK/Gallup poll. (For a free copy of the full report, go to www.pdkpoll.org or download the free Phi Delta Kappan iPad app.)

1. There is lukewarm support for evaluating teachers using students' test scores. Only 52% of Americans favor teacher evaluations that include how well a teacher's students perform on standardized tests. Many policy makers and teachers know that we do not have the tools necessary to create a thoughtful teacher evaluation system that relies on student test results, and it looks like the public agrees, despite the attention this has received. My prediction: Look for an increasing percentage of Americans to oppose this in the future.
   
   

Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock: Romney on Education

 Views expressed in this post are strictly those of the author and do
not reflect the endorsement of the Learning First Alliance or any of its members.

by Dennis Van Roekel, President of the National Education Association (NEA) * EDUCATION WEEK

It was hard not to be taken aback earlier this month when presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his top supporters, including Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, again demonstrated how out of touch they are with ordinary Americans by voicing their desire to cut back on police, firefighters, and teachers. But the 3 million teachers, cafeteria workers, librarians, and other educators I work with weren't surprised.
That's because Mr. Romney has already revealed how little he understands about the issues that are important to the rest of us. Take his education agenda, for example. Today, few topics unite liberals and conservatives, but almost everyone seems to agree that George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law has failed. There's almost unilateral agreement that NCLB's focus on standardized testing and punishing is wrong; it hurts our schools and our children.