Pension and Retirement Security Resources from NEA

The publications linked below will help you understand, defend, and strengthen the quality and level of retirement benefits for yourself and other public education employees.

Protecting the Retirement Security of NEA Members: A Toolkit has all the information you'll need to protect your pension plan from legislative attack. It includes the advantages of defined benefit (DB) pension plans and the weaknesses of defined contribution (DC) pension plans, what the research shows about converting DB plans to DC plans, how to respond to the arguments you'll hear, and how to conduct campaigns around pension issues.
http://www.nea.org/retired/tools/publications.html#toolkit

Characteristics of Large Public Education Pension Plans, December 2006, presents the results of a survey conducted during the summer and fall of 2006. It provides data in the areas of plan membership, assets, retirement eligibility, vesting requirements, purchase of service credit, state taxation of benefits, employee and employer contribution rates, plan benefit formulas and limitations, actuarial methods, funding, and board membership.
( PDF, 172 pp., 7 MB)
http://www.nea.org/takenote/images/char2006.pdf

The Status of Retirement Coverage for Education Support Professionals provides the facts about retirement programs available for education support professionals (ESPs) and includes a comparison of retirement benefits for ESPs and teachers in each state. In addition to describing the existing benefits, the report identifies and discusses recommendations for improving the way ESPs are covered and the adequacy of such coverage.
( PDF file, 24 pp., 216 KB)
http://www.nea.org/takenote/images/espretire06.doc

Post-Retirement Return-to-Work Programs: A Survey and Discussion reviews state policies for allowing retired teachers to return-to-work without forfeiting their pensions and the various ways states have acted to ensure that return-to-work does not adversely affect the retirement system. It discusses concerns relating to return-to-work, including the barriers, disadvantages and benefits of this complicated issue for employees, school systems, associations, and retirement systems.
( PDF file, 52 pp., 222 KB)
http://www.nea.org/takenote/images/rtw-aug2004.pdf

NEA Issue Brief on Pension Protections in State Constitutions examines the pension protections currently in state constitutions and offers model language for those advocating for such a provision to protect the retirement system and its members.
( PDF file, 24 pp., 216 KB)
http://www.nea.org/takenote/images/penprotect06.doc

Retirement Systems & Retiree Health Insurance summarizes the findings of a 2005 study of the various health insurance plans offered to public education employees by public education retirement systems in the United States.
(Coming soon…)

More information about Social Security Privatization:

• NEA's Position on Social Security Privatization
• Protect Social Security Benefits
• Social Security: Cornerstone of Societal Safety Net
• Privatization: A Bad Deal for Younger Americans
• Privatization: A Bad Deal for Public Employees
• Privatization: A Bad Deal for African Americans
• Privatization: A Bad Deal for Hispanic Communities
• Privatization: A Bad Deal for Women
• Social Security Privatization and Attacks on Public Education Pension Plans
• Other Resources

NEA Foundation Grants Available to You

The NEA Foundation is accepting applications for $2,000 and $5,000 grants.

Click here for a brochure with more details. Help us spread the word by sending your colleagues this link or by contacting Edith Wooten to order print copies.

The NEA Foundation supports a variety of efforts by teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to improve student learning in the nation's public schools, colleges, and universities.

• Learning & Leadership Grants: provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. The next application deadline is June 6, 2008.

• Student Achievement Grants: provide $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. (These grants replace the Foundation’s Innovation Grants program, which has been discontinued.) The next application deadline is June 6, 2008.
  
  
• Announcing the Recipients of the NEA's Books Across America Library Books Awards: In collaboration with the National Education Association, The NEA Foundation will make approximately 50 awards of $1,000 each to public schools serving economically disadvantaged students to purchase books for school libraries. Update: Click here to view the recipients!
  

• Closing the Achievement Gaps: Many economically disadvantaged and minority students do not have the same opportunities for academic success as their more affluent peers. With support from the NEA Foundation, partnerships led by NEA affiliates, school districts, and community organizations will take action to accelerate the achievement rate for disadvantaged and minority students, while raising achievement for all groups of students. Details. Application is by invitation only. Additional resources.
  

Award recipients:

Student Achievement Grant Recipients:
Student Achievement, Summer 2008 NEW!
Student Achievement, Winter 2008
Student Achievement, Fall 2007
Student Achievement, Summer 2007
Student Achievement, Winter 2007

Learning & Leadership Grant Recipients:
Learning & Leadership, Summer 2008 NEW!
Learning & Leadership, Winter 2008
Learning & Leadership, Fall 2007
Learning & Leadership, Summer 2007
Learning & Leadership, Winter 2007
Learning & Leadership, Fall 2006
Learning & Leadership, Spring 2006
Learning & Leadership, Winter 2006
Learning & Leadership, Fall 2005
Learning & Leadership, Spring 2005
Learning & Leadership, Winter 2005
Learning & Leadership, Fall 2004
Learning & Leadership, Spring 2004
Learning & Leadership, Winter 2004
Learning & Leadership, Fall 2003
Learning & Leadership, Summer 2003
Learning & Leadership, Winter 2003
Innovation Grant Recipients:
Innovation, Fall 2006
Innovation, Spring 2006
Innovation, Winter 2006
Innovation, Fall 2005
Innovation, Spring 2005
Innovation, Winter 2005
Innovation, Fall 2004
Innovation, Spring 2004
Innovation, Winter 2004
Innovation, Fall 2003
Innovation, Summer 2003
Innovation, Winter 2003

Helpful Information for Applicants:

Information about Fiscal Agents

Learning & Leadership Grant Writing Tips

Student Achievement Grant Writing Tips

Helpful Information for Current Grantees:

Completing Your Learning & Leadership Grant Report

Completing Your Student Achievement Grant Report

Completing Your Innovation Grant Report

LCEA Insider Celebrates 200th Post

Thank you for your LCEA membership and involvement in our Association. With your help we've had a banner year for our Association. Now that we've established this tool to share contract information, NEA Member Benefits information, meeting agendas and minutes, days of celebration for our profession and some wonderful events in our local, it's time to take our site to the next level

Building Bloggers Needed

Help us highlight some of the wonderful events happening in the lives of our members and some of the great things that are happening in our building by being a blogger. We hope to feature more photos of events from your buildings for next year. It doesn't take tons of time. If you could commit to one post a month for next year, we could certainly improve our coverage of all the great things that our members are doing in and out of the classroom.

We will provide you the opportunity to learn how to be a blogger. It's easy and rewarding to help your Association. If you're interested in helping out your LCEA teammates, please click here.

Blog Statistics by Quarter

Tell Congress: Support Children's Health and Rural Education

May 23, 2008

In a major victory for NEA, the Senate passed two critical domestic spending provisions as part of an Iraq supplemental appropriations bill:

A provision to continue Medicaid reimbursements that help children with serious and chronic conditions go to school; and

A provision to continue funding for one year for the expired Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, which provides a guaranteed payment to rural, timber-dependent counties.

But, the fight is not over. The House needs to include these provisions in its version of the bill, and they need to be kept in the final version of the bill when the House and Senate versions go to "conference committee" to work out differences. If the Medicaid provision is dropped, many children with special needs could be kept out of school. Without the rural schools funding, impacted counties will have to lay off staff and cut programs.

Contact your representatives in Congress!
Congress will be on recess the week of May 26. While Members of Congress are back home, tell them to support the Medicaid funding and rural schools provisions in the Iraq supplemental funding bill


Tell the House: Support Four-Year Reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools Program
In addition to considering a one-year extension of funding for the Secure Rural Schools Program in the Iraq funding bill, Congress now also has the opportunity to reauthorize this critical program for four years. In early June, the House will vote on a free-standing bill introduced by Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), that will provide this four-year reauthorization.

Contact your representatives in Congress!
Tell the House to support passage of HR 3058, the Public Land Communities Transition Act, offered by Rep. Peter DeFazio, to provide a four-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Program.

LCEA Votes to Take Negotiations to Arbitration on an 11-6 Vote

LCEA Emergency
Executive Board Meeting
05/21/2008
4:00 PM
Room 203
Middle School

LCEA President Dave Bergman called the meeting to order at 4:10 PM

Tom McLaughlin requested that a roll-call vote be taken.

There was a brief discussion of each building's method of gathering input from members on whether to accept the LC Board of Directors last offer of a $900.00 increase on the base or to move forward to arbitration in a effort to resolve the differences between the negotiating parties. Please click here to read more about the information gathering process. All buildings spoke to their members and the votes on the board represent the will of the membership.

Tom McLaughlin moved that:

"The LCEA shall proceed to arbitration to settle the 2007-2008 LC Master Contract."

Allison Towne seconded the motion.

LCEA Secretary Kim Muta recorded the roll call vote as follows.

Margie Argotsinger	Yea
Dave Bergman	Nay
Jennifer Doorlag	Nay
Susan Drustrup	Yea
Beth Frank	Nay
Lisa Gundlach	Yea
Jennifer Hake	Yea
Al Lorenz	Yea
Tom McLaughlin	Yea
Kathy Moe	Nay
Barb Motes	Nay
Kim Muta	Yea
Melinn Ruzicka	Nay
Joanna Stenlund	Yea
Ashley Shipp	Yea
Allison Towne	Yea
Tara York	Yea

The motion carried on a vote of 11 Yea votes to 6 Nay votes. Our Association needs you! Please plan on attending the Arbitration Hearing next Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 4:00 PM in the High School Multi-Purpose Room to support your union. We will have snacks for members who will be there to demonstrate our solidarity and to give our team moral support. You will be able to grade papers while being at the meeting.

Our role will be to listen to our argument and the Board's argument. Spectators do not speak during the hearing. The arbitrator will make a ruling in 15 days.

Since we will have a delay in issuing the contracts please be aware of this clause in our contract:

Late Resignation: An employee who returns a signed individual teaching contract or contract modification to the Board for the following year and then is released from that contract, or who is released from an individual teaching contract after June 15 even though a signed individual contract or contract modification has not been returned to the Board, shall be liable for the actual newspaper advertising expenses incurred by the Board in seeking a suitable replacement.

LCEA Emergency Executive Board Emergency Meeting Minutes May 21, 2008

LCEA Emergency Meeting Minutes—New Executive Board
Date: 5/21/2008
Place: Middle School—Beth Frank’s classroom
Time: 4:10 * Unofficial Minutes * Do Not Post

Roll Call: Dave Bergman, Kim Muta, Jennifer Doorlag, Sharon Crawley (absent), Barb Motes
HS Reps: Tom McLaughlin, Allison Towne, Brian Johnson (absent), Ruth Kreger (absent)
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz
TH Reps: Susan Drustrup, Lisa Gundlach, Jennifer Hake, Joanna Stenlund
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham (absent), Mary Broughton (absent), Lee Parkison (absent)
Substitutes: Ashley Shipp, Melinn Ruzicka, Kathy Moe, Tara York

The only agenda item was to decide whether LCEA should accept the District’s Board of Directors offer of $900 added to the base or go to arbitration.

Tom McLaughlin moved that LCEA go to arbitration. Allison Towne seconded the motion. Tom McLaughlin asked for a roll call vote:
• Dave Bergman: nay
• Kim Muta: yea
• Jennifer Doorlag: nay
• Barb Motes: nay
• Tom McLaughlin: yea
• Allison Towne: yea
• Margot Argotsinger: yea
• Beth Frank: nay
• Al Lorenz: yea
• Susan Drustrup: yea
• Lisa Gundlach: yea
• Jennifer Hake: yea
• Joanna Stenlund: yea
• Ashley Shipp: yea
• Melinn Ruzicka: nay
• Kathy Moe: nay
• Tara York: yea
Totals:
Yea = 11
Nay = 6

The motion to go to arbitration passed. Beth Frank reminded the Executive Board to pass the word that members need to attend the arbitration hearing. It is set for Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 4:00 in the high school multi-purpose room. She also suggested that someone bring treats for this meeting, and Kim Muta agreed to do that.

Adjournment—The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:20.

LCEA Executive Board Seeks More Member Input on Arbitration Vote.

LCEA EXECUTIVE BOARD
OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Attention LCEA Members
Please Share Your Thoughts with Us
on this Important LCEA Decision

After an emergency meeting to discuss the "pros and cons" of arbitration, the LCEA Executive Board has decided to gather more information from our membership.

The choices we have are the following:

A) Accept $900.00 on the base increase proposed by the district at mediation.

• our offer was $1000.00 at the start of mediation;
• $950.00 at the end of mediation;
• $925.00 on a post mediation offer on May 5th;
• $915.00 compromise made by the PERB (Public Employee Relations Baord) in an attempt to settle the contract;
• Our PERB $915.00 offer was rejected by the board.

B) Proceed to arbitration at $950.00 base increase--LCEA proposal.

• At arbitration the arbitrator has two choices-- be aware that the arbitrator can only choose one of these two arbitration offers--not in between.
• $950.00 LCEA arbitration offer
• $850.00 LC Board proposal.

If arbitration is chosen, it is imperative that ALL members be in attendance. We need to show the arbitrator that we have the support of our membership. The "arbitration hearing" is set for Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 4:00 PM in the Middle School Library.

YOUR FEEDBACK IS NECESSARY BY WEDNESDAY, as we will be meeting after school to make a final decision Any confusion or questions?? PLEASE CONTACT YOUR BUILDING LEVEL ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVES.

Your email or "in person" comments, questions, recommendations are appreciated.

LCEA Emergency Executive Board Meeting Minutes May 19, 2008

LCEA Emergency Meeting Minutes—New Executive Board Date: 5/19/2008 Place: Middle School—Beth Frank’s classroom Time: 4:15 * Unofficial Minutes * Not to be Posted

Roll Call: Dave Bergman*, Kim Muta, Jennifer Doorlag, Sharon Crawley (absent), Barb Motes (absent)
HS Reps: Tom McLaughlin, Allison Towne (absent), Brian Johnson (absent), Ruth Kreger (absent)
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank*, Al Lorenz
TH Reps: Susan Drustrup*, Lisa Gundlach (absent), Jennifer Hake (absent), Joanna Stenlund
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham*, Mary Broughton (absent), Lee Parkison (absent)
Guests: Ashley Shipp*, John Phillips (SWUU Uniserv Director), Pat Shipley (SWUU Uniserv Director)

The only agenda item was to decide whether LCEA should accept the District’s Board of Directors offer of $900 added to the base or go to arbitration.

The members of the negotiations team who were present at the meeting are identified with an asterisk above.

John Phillips explained the procedures involved in arbitration, and he shared an overview of the presentation he would make to the arbitrator should we indeed go to arbitration.

Tom McLaughlin moved that the decision be tabled until building representatives could gather feedback from the membership. Tara York seconded the motion, and it passed. There was one “nay” vote.

Beth Frank created a document to be shared with the membership to explain the situation and the options. See below:

Attention LCEA Members
After an emergency meeting to discuss the pros and cons of arbitration, the LCEA executive board has decided to gather more information from the members.
The choices we have are the following:

A) Accept $900 on the base increase.
a. proposed by the district at mediation (our offer was $1000 at the start of mediation, $950 at the end of mediation, $925 as a post mediation offer on May 5th, $915 compromise proposal made by PERB(Public Employee Relations Board) in an attempt to settle the contract - rejected by the board)
B) Proceed to arbitration at $950 base increase - LCEA proposal
a. At arbitration the arbitrator has 2 choices - Be aware that the arbitrator can only choose one of these two choices - not in between.
i. $950 LCEA
ii. $850 Board proposal.

If arbitration is picked it is imperative that all members be in attendance. Hearing is set for 4:00 pm at the Middle School Library.

Feedback is necessary by Wednesday, as we will be meeting after school to make a final decision. Any confusion or questions please contact your representative.

Adjournment—The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:20 PM.

LC Board Rejects PERB Intervention Offer and Stands Firm Over $15.00 Difference on the Base

May 16, 2008 Vote NULL and VOID: LCEA Teachers Vote in "Good Faith", While LC Board of Directors Rejects Reasonable Offer

We are sad to report that we received an email today that shared our board's unwillingness to honor PERB's suggested "meeting point" to settle our contract. Instead, our board voted no over a $15.00 difference on the base.

Please share with the members in your building the following information. I was informed by Dr. Schweer this morning at 9:15 the following information: the board has rejected the supposal offer of $915 as presented by PERB. I believe the Board's offer of $900 is still on the table.

The vote we took today is null and void. We are still on board with Arbitration on May 28th at 4 p.m. at the Middle School. This is an open meeting. We encourage and need every member to be at this meeting. There is only $6000 difference in the $900 and the $915 offer. The board's arbitration offer is $850 and LCEA's arbitration offer is $950.

Please let your building representatives know how you feel. We are meeting as an executive board again on Monday, May 19th at 4 p.m. in my room to vote on the next move.

Your LCEA negotiation team
Beth Frank
Susan Drustrup
LoriAnn Brougham
Ashley Shipp
Dave Bergman

Once again, hats-off to our local Association leaders who have continued to represent us so well in the Negotiations process. We will meet Monday to discuss our next move in this disturbing development. Chief Negotiator Beth Frank and Negotiations Team Members: Dave Bergman, Loriann Brogham, Susan Drustrup, Ashley Shipp. Your work on behalf of us is greatly appreciated.

The LCEA Executive Board unanimously supported the Professional Negotiations Teams presentation of a 5.89% package for the 2008-2009 contract year. The LCEA Board also moved a point of personal privilege to thank the team for their hard-work this year. It is unfortunate that the Board has chosen to ignore our desire to find "common ground."

The package that the board rejected offered members a 5.89% raise on the base or $915.00. This offer did NOT include Teacher Quality monies that teachers will be paid during 2008-2009. We believe that the Board's offer of $900.00 is still on the table. We are uncertain as to how the LCEA Executive Board will react to this disappointing development.

Once we do find an agreed upon amount (perhaps with the help of intervention), our district will be paying future Teacher Quality and Phase monies during the entire year. This will be a change in the way that monies have been distributed in the past.

As you may know, the legislature rolled year one monies into the general school aid formula. This major ISEA victory ensures that a large portion of the monies are not subject to being randomly cut or shifted by future legislatures as a kind of "Phase III" sort of compensation.

THESE LANGUAGE CHANGES IN THE CONTRACT
ARE SETTLED. WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THE BASE.

Article I Evaluation Current Contract
Article II Grievance Procedure Current Contract
Article III Employee Hours Current Contract
Article IV Seniority Current Contract
Article V Staff Reduction Current Contract
Article VI Leaves of Absence Agreed Change add(grandchildren)
Article VII Transfer Procedures Current Contract
Article VIII Vacations and Holidays Current Contract
Article IX Insurance Current Contract
Article X Payroll Deductions Current Contract
Article XI Wages and Salaries Agreed to TQ money and curriculum writing changed to $25.00 per hour
Article XII Supplemental Pay Current Contract
Article XIII Safety Current Contract
Article XIV Duration and Signature Clause Agreed to changes
Salary Schedules Current Contract with change on the base Addition of Special Olympics Position
Appendix A Current Contract
Letter of Memorandum Current Contract

ARTICLE VI
Leaves of Absence

A. Sick Leave

2. Family Illness Leave. Each employee will be allowed up to a maximum of five (5) days per year without deduction in pay for a serious illness, serious injury, surgery or hospitalization in the immediate family. The immediate family will include wife, husband, children, mother, father, father- or mother-in-law, grandchildren, brother or sister, or anyone living in the home of the employee. For purposes of this section, serious illness or serious injury shall be defined as an illness or injury requiring the attention of a licensed physician. Family illness days taken will be deducted from the employee’s sick leave.

ARTICLE XI
Wages and Salaries

A. Schedule. The salaries of all employees are covered by the regular salary schedule set forth and attached hereto. The base salary will increase by $550 to $26,050. $950 to $27,000.

I. Allocation of Teacher Quality Funding: Effective July 1, 2008, the Teacher Quality Funding that the District receives will be allocated such that each teacher will receive $2500 plus the percent of the remaining funds. The percent is the same as the existing base salary schedule. The Teacher Quality Funding will also cover IPERS and FICA.

G. Wages and Salaries. Curriculum Development: Employees whom the administrators select to participate in the process of writing and developing curriculum will be compensated at the rate of $22.50 $25.00 per hour.

ARTICLE XIV
Duration And Signature Clause

2. If by Board, to Association at:

Sharon Crawley Dave Bergman

Lewis Central Education Association

High School

3504 Harry Langdon Blvd.

Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503

E. Duration Period.

1. This Agreement shall be effective as of July 1, 2008 and shall continue in effect until June 30, 2009 except for the following:

a. the salary figures on the teachers' and nurses' salary schedule and the supplemental salary schedules shall be effective as of the first pay period of the 2008-2009 school year and shall continue in effect until the first pay period of the 2009-2010 school year except as modified according to the following formula; and

b. other salary and fringe benefits provisions shall become effective at the first pay period of the 2008-2009 school year and continue in effect until the first pay period of the 2009-2010 school year.

2. This Agreement shall automatically continue in force and effect for equivalent periods, except as articles are reopened for negotiation by either party during future collective bargaining.

F. Signature Clause.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be signed by their respective Presidents, attested by their respective Chief Negotiators, and their signatures placed thereon, all on the 15^th day of May 2008.


LEWIS CENTRAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION LEWIS CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

LEWIS CENTRAL - SUPPLEMENTAL PAY SCHEDULE

2008-2009

(% Applied to BA Base)

SUPPLEMENTAL DUTY	4	5	6	7	8	9
Middle School
Special Olympics	3.9	4.0	4.1	4.2	4.3	4.4

Fiscal Year 2008-09 Teacher Quality Money Amounts Disclosed

ISEA provided us with the following information related to the distribution of the TQ money for 2008-09.

The payments from the State to the school districts will remain the same as in the current law. They will begin in October and end in June. The new law only deals with the distribution of money from the school district to teachers. It was designed to require the distribution of TQ money starting in October and stretching for the remainder of the pay periods in the teacher’s contract.

The intent of the law was to require payment through the end of the teacher’s contract (August). It is legal to extend the payment by starting earlier than October, if the district is willing.

Lewis Central Teacher Quality Money Fiscal Year 2008-2009

LCEA Executive Board Meeting Minutes May 15, 2008

LCEA Meeting Minutes
UNOFFICIAL MINUTES TO BE APPROVED
Date: 5/15/2008
Place: High School Room 403
Time: 4:15

Roll Call: Sharon Crawley, Kim Muta, Jennifer Doorlag, Maggie Bennett (absent), Dave Bergman
HS Reps: Tom McLaughlin, Allison Towne, Brian Johnson (absent), Christina Woodward (absent)
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Barb Motes (absent)
TH Reps: Susan Drustrup, Maggie Miller (Lisa Gundlach subbing), Jennifer Hake (absent), Joanna Stenlund
Kreft Reps: Kathy Moe, Melinn Ruzicka, Tara York

Approval of Agenda: Sharon Crawley
• Beth Frank moved that the agenda be approved with the addition of Nancy Haigh, Dave Bergman seconded the motion and it passed.

Nancy Haigh from Valuebuilders

Secretary’s Report/ Approval of Minutes: Kim Muta
• Dave Bergman moved that the April minutes be approved, Allison Towne seconded it, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report: Jennifer Doorlag
• The spreadsheet is up to date. Susan has some receipts to turn in, yet. Tom McLaughlin needs to turn in the dinner receipt from Delegate Assembly.
• Allison Towne moved that we accept the treasurer’s report, Dave Bergman seconded it, and the motion passed
• Allison Towne moved that the officers be given authority to decide the 2007-2008 budget, Joanna Stenlund seconded it, and the motion passed.
• Allison Towne moved that we buy teachers for new teachers again in August, Tom McLaughlin seconded it, and the motion passed.
• Beth Frank moved that we purchase plaques for Teacher of the Year, Allison Towne seconded it, and the motion passed.
• Tom McLaughlin moved that we purchase and present a gavel to Sharon Crawley for her service as President, Kathy Moe seconded it, and the motion passed.

Negotiations: Beth Frank
• The District said no to $950 and then to $925. John Phillips got PERB involved and there is a tentative agreement of $915 added to the base. That would be a 5.89% package.
• Next year, we should be getting Phase II and TQ money spread out equally over twelve months.
• The new language: add grandchildren to family leave, distribution of TQ money, signature clause was changed to reflect the change in LCEA leadership, addition of Special Olympics supplemental position.
• Dave Bergman moved that we accept the $915 to the base, Tom McLaughlin seconded the motion, and it passed.
• Beth Frank handed out ballots to give to the membership, and those need to be distributed and returned by the end of the day tomorrow, May 16.

TQC: Barb Motes/Kim Muta/Al Lorenz/Tom McLaughlin
• We shared the discussion of the two staff development days and the discussion of the market factor pay being discontinued. All minutes for those meetings are on the LCEA blog site.

President’s Report: Sharon Crawley
• There is nothing to report today.

Committee Reports:
• High School: We have a Nelson Award winner, and the person will be honored at the awards ceremony on Monday, May 19. Dave Bergman talked about the new District Leadership Team (DLT). The Task Force has been disbanded, but there isn’t clear direction about what form the DLT would take. There is discussion about compensation, which, of course, would be an issue since the positions were not posted. There are several other issues involved—the DLT usurping the role of the TQC, the inclusion of non-members on a committee making decisions about professional development, compensation of instructional strategists, the elimination of summer curriculum writing, etc.
• Middle School: Things are normal for this time of year.
• Kreft: Nothing to report.
• Titan Hill: The visit by Linda Nelson went very well. Pictures are on the blog.

Old Business:
• ISEA President, Linda Nelson, will be visiting our unit April 22-23-24. See Titan Hill’s report.

New Business:
• Buildings: Teacher of the Year: Susan Drustrup for Titan Hill, Phyllis Hamling for the middle school, and the other two buildings aren’t sure yet.
• Retirees: Phyllis Hamling’s picture is done, and she’s finishing up Jan Pellant’s. We’ll get frames for them, and they’ll be presented at the last meeting for their buildings or at their retirement parties.
• Scholarship winner (awarded by Dave Bergman): Kristen Schweer.

Adjournment
• Allison Towne moved that we adjourn, Melinn Ruzicka seconded it, and the meeting adjourned at 5:30.

CLICK HERE for a WORD version of the LCEA Unofficial Meeting Minutes 05.15.08

Culver Vetoes Collective Bargaining Bill

Culver vetoes collective bargaining bill
Gov. Chet Culver announced in a news conference late this afternoon that he will veto HF 2645, a bill which would have expanded the scope of collective bargaining for educators and other public employees. Here is a statement ISEA President Linda Nelson issued to the news media:

Statement by ISEA President Linda Nelson on Gov. Culver's veto of HF2645

We are deeply disappointed by Gov. Culver's veto of HF 2645. This legislation would have leveled the playing field for educators and other public employees at the bargaining table. It would have allowed us to negotiate over issues that impact student achievement like class size, preparation time, in-service, and a whole host of other topics that under the current law are deemed "permissive" and off-limits for discussion. While we appreciate the Governor's support for funding public schools and for making teacher salaries competitive, he missed a great opportunity to recognize educators as true professionals and full partners in educational decision making. We are committed to working with Gov. Culver Culver to craft a bill which accomplishes that objective.

Highlights of education appropriations and other key bills

The following is a brief overview of how major education-related bills fared during the 2008 legislative session.

Community colleges. Funding for community colleges will increase by $9.1 million with an additional $1.5 million allocated for faculty salaries. That's in addition to the $2 million already in effect. Although the figures fell short of what the ISEA had pushed for, the increase is significantly higher than what Gov. Culver had called for in his budget message and will help move us closer to the goal of raising faculty salaries to 25th in the nation. In addition, all faculty must now be included in the quality faculty plans and new committees will be formed at the state level to increase faculty input and create more professional development opportunities.

Funding roll-in. The ISEA won a huge victory will the passage of a bill to roll funding for several key categorical programs into the school foundation aid formula. That means that allocations for teacher compensation, Phase II, professional development, and class size reduction will be better protected from future budget cuts and will be able to keep pace with inflation.

Teacher salaries. The additional $75 million in funding necessary to raise teacher salaries to 25th in the nation is maintained and legislation was approved to ensure that once the additional salary distribution is determined, teachers will be paid in equal installments throughout the year beginning in October. In addition, the market factor pay incentives for shortage areas was eliminated and the allocation for pay-for-performance pilot programs was reduced from $2.5 million to $335,000. The minimum teacher salary will be $28,000 in 2008-09 and the minimum salary for career teachers will be $30,000.

K-12 and AEA funding. Early in the session, the Legislature approved - and Gov. Culver has signed into law -- a 4 percent K-12 allowable growth rate for 2009-10. Lawmakers also restored $2.75 million of the budget reductions for the area education agencies for next year and they indicated their intent to restore the remaining $2.5 million in 2009-10.

ESP salaries. The ISEA was successful in getting the following language included in Chapter 279 of the Iowa Code: "It is the goal of this state that every employee of a public school corporation be provided with a competitive living wage."

Core curriculum. After striking down a provision which would have created new student performance standards and would have forced the state to completely revamp its student assessments, lawmakers approved a bill to require school districts to adopt the model core curriculum. Under the new law, the mandate will be fully implemented by the 2012-13 school year for grades 9 - 12 and during the 2014-15 school year for grades K - 8.

Statewide penny tax. Lawmakers approved a compromise version of a bill which eliminates the local option sales tax and replaces it with a statewide penny tax for school infrastructure and property tax relief. The final bill is an improvement over earlier versions because it provides more equity across the state. It is our hope that the money generated will be used to provide for student needs rather than being diverted solely for property tax relief.

IPERS. ISEA-backed legislation was approved which will allow the IPERS actuary to adjust contribution rates beginning in July of 2011 after the current statutory increase of 2 percent is fully implemented. This change is necessary in order to address fluctuating funding needs. In addition, school districts will be limited in the number of 403b providers it can use but local associations will still have a voice in determining the providers.

ISEA members should take time out to thank Democrats in the House and Democrats in the Senate for their hard work and support for educators and students this session - particularly Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, Senate President Jack Kibbie, Speaker of the House Pat Murphy, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy . Please also thank Senators Bob Dvorsky and Frank Wood and Representatives Jo Oldson and Cindy Winckler who played critical roles in pushing through the appropriations bill at the end of the session.

Join Now and Pay Nothing Until Fall 2008

Join now and pay nothing until fall!

There's never been a better time to join the Association. Effective April 1, 2008, NEA and ISEA are offering the "Early Enrollment" Membership Incentive Plan where you can join now and pay nothing until September 1. Meanwhile, you'll have access to the NEA's comprehensive Educators Employment Liability Program as well as select NEA Member Benefits and ISEA discount programs.

Join now and take advantage of these benefits immediately:

*Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Program benefits
*NEA Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Program
*NEA Automobile and Homeowners Insurance Program
*NEA Car Rental Plan
*NEA Credit Card Program
*NEA Magazine Services
*NEA Term Life Insurance
*ISEA's Access Card with savings on travel, dining out, recreation, and more!

When you join us, you're joining with 3.2 million members nationwide. Our membership includes four levels-national, state, UniServ, and local association. Our state is divided into 19 UniServ units (field offices) whose staff provides you expert help and assistance to members in their area. UniServ unit and local association dues vary, depending on where you are employed, but the NEA and ISEA dues amounts for professional and half-time members are:

Full-time: $160 NEA Half-time: $86 NEA
$356 ISEA $178 ISEA

ISEA dues are determined by the percentage of time members are employed. Full-time first-year teacher members have an option of receiving $100 cash back or a $1,000 interest-free loan and part-time first-year teacher members receive a portion of $100 that is equal to the percentage of time they are employed.

Just complete the form on the ISEA Website to join now and get four months of coverage for no money at all!

Access the website at:
http://ia.nea.org/earlyenroll.html

LCEA Executive Board Agenda May 15, 2008

LCEA Executive Board Meeting
Date: 5/15/2008 Place:
High School
Room 403
Time: 4:15

Roll Call: Sharon Crawley, Kim Muta, Jennifer Doorlag,
Maggie Bennett, Dave Bergman
HS Reps: Tom McLaughlin, Allison Towne, Brian Johnson, Christina Woodward
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Barb Motes
TH Reps: Susan Drustrup, Maggie Miller, Jennifer Hake
Kreft Reps: Kathy Moe, Melinn Ruzicka, Tara York

Approval of Agenda:

Secretary’s Report/ Approval of Minutes:

Treasurer’s Report:

Negotiations: Beth Frank

TQC: Barb Motes

President’s Report: Sharon Crawley

Committee Reports:
High School:
Middle School:
Kreft:
Titan Hill:

Old Business:

• ISEA President, Linda Nelson, visited Titan Hill on April 22-23-24 (How did it go?)

New Business:

• Buildings: Teacher of the Year
• Retirees
• Scholarship winner (awarded by Dave Bergman)

Adjournment

No Child Left Behind : The Hype vs. Reality

Listen to Joel Packer, NEA Expert on No Child Left Behind, and His Podcast on the Facts Behind NCLB.

Please be patient while it loads. You will be taken briefly away from the LCEA Insider page.

It’s time for Congress to reject the hype and outright falsehoods too often marking the final months of Bush policy.

Send your questions about NCLB to Joel@nea.org.

----------

The transcript follows:

Joel Packer Has All the Answers Podcast -- May 13, 2008

Hi. I’m Joel Packer. Welcome to the podcast.

Get ready for some numbers. I promise you’ll be smarter in just a few minutes with our famous Joel Packer Has All the Answers individualized instruction. And there will be no test needed to move on to the next podcast.

What’s the main objective of No Child Left Behind? Increasing student test scores. Sure, the law is more than 1,000 pages long and contains some 50 programs, most of them unfunded mandates by the way. But the major “bright line” to quote Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, is that by the year 2014, every single student – 100 percent - will be proficient on statewide reading and math tests.

Every year from the start of the law in the 2002-03 school year through the year when all children will be above average and living in Lake Wobegon, increasing percentages of students must score proficient or higher on these two tests.

So, has it worked? Are the children now all above average, just as in Garrison Keillor’s fantasy world?

Secretary Spellings says everything is fine. She says scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) have increased, so she says NCLB is “like Ivory soap: It’s 99.9 percent pure…there’s not much needed in the way of change.” Even President Bush said, “These scores confirm that No Child Left Behind is working.”

But is it?

The percentage of fourth graders who scored at the proficient or higher level on NEAP only increased by 2% between 1998 and 2002 (pre-NCLB). Yet from 2002 to 2007 - after NCLB began - the increase in the percent proficient was also just 2%. Based on 4th grade math scores, the percent proficient rose by 9% from 2000 to 2003 but only 8 points from 2003 to 2007.

For 8th graders in reading, the percent proficient improved by only 1% between 1998 and 2002 but actually went down by 2 points between 2002 and 2007. The only area where performance was better post-NCLB than before was in 8th grade math, where the percent proficient went up just two points between 2000 and 2003, but rose 4 points between 2003 and 2007.

FairTest co-Executive Director Monty Neill criticized the Administration for its claims saying, “NEAP shows educational improvement across the nation slowed significantly since NCLB went into effect…despite the fact that curriculum narrowed in many schools to little more than test preparation in reading and math.”

The NY Times in a September 2007 article said, “…gains in reading achievement have been marginal, with performance declining among eighth graders… The results also showed that the nation had made only incremental progress in narrowing historic gaps in achievement between white and minority students, a fundamental goal of the federal law.”

The Civil Rights project at UCLA (formerly at Harvard) in a 2006 study, Tracking Achievement Gaps and Assessing the Impact of NCLB on the Gaps, reached the following conclusions:

* NCLB did not have a significant impact on improving reading and math achievement across the nation and states.
* NCLB has not helped the nation and states significantly narrow the achievement gap.
The Bush administration’s hard spin on its failed education policy doesn’t straighten out away from NCLB issues either. Spellings recently said about the Reading First program, “If ever there was a program that was rooted in research and science and fact, this is it,” she said. “This is [like] the cure for cancer.” Two months later her own Department’s research arm issued a report saying the Reading First program had no real effect on reading comprehension in Grades 1-3.

It’s time for Congress to reject the hype and outright falsehoods too often marking the final months of Bush policy.

It’s time to fundamentally overhaul NCLB and shift its focus from testing, labeling, and punishing. It’s time to support states and districts to build capacity, use comprehensive meaningful measures of student learning and school quality, and provide resources for proven programs like smaller class size.

And finally, it’s especially time to stop pretending when it comes to closing the achievement gaps – to allow school systems flexibility to put in place appropriate interventions targeted to the underlying problems in struggling schools – instead of failed one-size-fits-all mandates.

Thanks very much. I’m Joel Packer

Now Hear This!

Teaching to Build Better Listening Skills

Listening is an important skill to cultivate. It helps you learn, develop friendships, and show your good manners by being attentive and sharing the talking time.

But not everyone has the same idea of what good listening behavior is.

This article offers some ideas for building better listening skills. As you read them, think about how you teach good listening practices in your classroom. If you teach in a multicultural classroom, you probably teach some of these ideas with sensitivity because for some of your students, some of these practices are actually considered bad listening practices. In fact, bad manners.

Read the article and then tell us what you think.

Listening Helps You Learn

Listening is a lot like reading - it's an opportunity to learn something new and it requires focusing on what's being said. You have to pay attention to the ideas and details that the speaker is telling you about. Unlike reading, when you're listening, you have a chance to ask the speaker questions to help you understand or to get more information. Asking such questions is an important part of listening. It tells the speaker what you've learned and what more you'd like to know. And by answering your questions, the speaker can help you and others learn more.

Listening Helps Build Friendships

Listening is a good way to build a friendship. Good listeners know that others like to be heard, that they enjoy sharing stories about themselves, and they like the sense of connectedness when they share information, confidences, and jokes with another person.

Listening Attentively Is Sign of Good Manners

Listening to people when they're speaking to you shows them that you respect them. So, how do you learn to become an attentive listener? Start by looking at the behaviors of a poor listener and a good listener.

A poor listener:

• Interrupts the speaker
• Thinks only about what he or she is going to say next
• Looks away from the person speaking
• Pays attention to other things going on
• Makes side comments to others

A good listener:

• Focuses on the person talking and allows him or her to finish talking
• Looks at the other person - to indicate readiness to listen, and to observe the person's body language to learn more about how the speaker is feeling
• Gives nonverbal signals to show he or she is listening - a nod, smile, or frown, for example
• Uses verbal signals to show interest in what the speaker is saying or to give feedback, with phrases such as
  • "Uh huh" or "I didn't know that." (showing encouragement)
  • "I'm not sure what you mean." (asking for clarification)
  • "You said that…" or "If I understand you correctly…" (showing an understanding of what the speaker said)
• Tries to use the same energy and emotional level as the speaker, to show an understanding of what the speaker is feeling

Effective listening skills are important - whether you're in a classroom with thirty people or in a conversation with one. As with any skill, listening takes practice, so keep these four things in mind as you begin:

1. Look the speaker in the eye
2. Encourage the speaker with smiles, nods, and "uh-huhs"
3. Pay attention to the facial expressions and body language as well as the words
4. Remain interested in understanding the speaker

Tell Us What You Think

How do you teach good listening skills?

Are you being culturally sensitive as you help students understand the cultural "norms" of the United States?

In fact, Is it politically correct to teach the dominant cultural "norms"?

Related Content

How to be a good listener - What is active listening? (Texas Women's University)

Assessing your listening ability - From Integrated Curriculum for Achieving Necessary Skills (I-CANS).

Activity: Face Match - Listen and find the face that matches the description. This Web site has other listening exercises for young students.

Listening Skills - The Face It Solution for Effective Listening. From Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors.