NEA ESEA/NCLB Update May 27, 2010

ESEA reauthorization hearings roundup

On May 19, the House Education & Labor Committee held a hearing on successful turnaround strategies for low-performing schools. Chairman George Miller (D-CA), clearly reacting to policies implemented by the Obama Administration through the Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants programs, stated, “No Child Left Behind dictated interventions to help these schools but what we’ve learned since the law was enacted is they were too prescriptive and unrelated to the real needs of the schools. What most of these schools need is a fresh start. A fresh start doesn’t have to mean shutting down a school . . . A fresh start doesn’t mean firing all the teachers and only hiring back an arbitrary number . . . A fresh start means buy in from school leaders, teachers, parents and the community. It means a team effort to put together the tools to make that school great.”

Chu unveils new school turnaround framework

Speaking of turnaround strategies, in the wake of bipartisan concern over the Administration’s turnaround policies, Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) unveiled a new framework for turning around schools that focuses on collaboration, flexibility and a more holistic approach. NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen spoke favorably about the Chu framework, stating that it was time to put to rest the “one-size-fits-all” mentality in turning around struggling schools. Positive principles of the Chu framework, entitled Strengthening Our Schools (SOS), include: • Flexibility and collaboration as keys to success • Giving schools sufficient time to show progress • Improve learning and instruction by building capacity • School closure and staff firings as a last resort, not a first option

TIF final rules released

The Department of Education has released final requirements for the $437 million Teacher Incentive Fund program, a competitive program designed for LEAs to establish performance-based compensation systems (PBCS) based on student achievement data, classroom observations and other measures of teacher performance. The TIF program has two competitions – the PBCS competition and an evaluation competition, in which selected LEAs would agree to have their compensation systems evaluated longitudinally to measure their impact. The deadline for notice of intent to apply is June 1, 2010, and the application deadline is July 6, 2010. Awardees will be notified by September 2010. Technical assistance workshops/webinars will be held in early June. In conjunction with the release of the TIF final rules, NEA joined with the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Board Association in developing a set of guiding principles for affiliates and members who want to apply for TIF grants. The 11 Guiding Principles could be used for to foster strong collaboration at the local level and appropriately implement this federal grant program.

Study: Parent involvement is important in elementary years
A new study by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has found that children whose parents were more involved during elementary school had fewer problem behaviors and better social skills, but that children's academics weren't affected. When parents boosted their involvement in elementary school (by increasing visits to the school and encouraging educational progress at home), children's problem behaviors (including both aggressive and disruptive behaviors as well as anxiety and depression) decreased. At the same time, their so-called pro-social skills (such as cooperation and self-control) improved.

Common core state standards to be released on June 2

The common core state standards will be released on June 2. NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen will deliver remarks at the release event in Atlanta, Georgia. NEA publicly supported the March draft of the new standards focused on language arts and mathematics , stating that “these [draft] standards are beginning to articulate education goals that encompass high level, complex knowledge and skills.” Two states, Maryland and Kentucky, have already endorsed standards – even before the release of the final version. Starting in June, attention will then turn to adoption and implementation of the standards at the state level. Stay tuned!

Central Falls agreement reached

In February, the Central Falls school district garnered national media attention when it announced it would fire some 90 high school teachers and support staff at the end of this school year. After months of negotiations between the Central Falls Teachers Union and the Central Falls School District, an agreement has been reached that will enable current staff to return to their former jobs without their having to reapply for them. The agreement includes a transformation plan for Central Falls High School as well as provisions for extending the school day and tutoring students outside of class. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel applauded the new plan, stating, “Congratulations to all parties involved in the collective bargaining efforts, and to the students who will surely benefit from this strenuous work.”

Speak Up for Education & Kids Campaign
Yesterday was the start of NEA's National Speak Up for Education & Kids Campaign. With more than 80 percent of school districts planning to lay off staff, it's time to take action. Call 1-866-608-6355 to call Congress and tell your Representative to protect the future of our children by supporting funding to save education jobs in the emergency funding bill. With 300,000 education layoffs expected, our students are the ones who will suffer -- in overcrowded classrooms, with less time in school, and without the teachers and school staff needed to give them individual attention and help.

NEA has launched “Speak Up for Education & Kids” to mobilize educators and others concerned about the budget emergency facing public education. At issue is the “Education Jobs Fund,” legislation that would provide $23 billion in emergency funding for education jobs. See the 30-second television spot on the initiative. And don't forget to speak up for education and kids! Tell your elected representative that you want to be sure students' needs come first, even during a fiscal crisis!

Works for Me May 26, 2010

Tips!

Teacher Report Cards

From Pam Shetler, an elementary school teacher in San Bernadino, California:

“At the close of the year, my students list their favorite activity in each subject, favorite read aloud and reading circle novel, what they liked best and least about my teaching, and if they had a successful year. Of course I ask them to expand by explaining why or why not. There is also space for additional comments. It is an anonymous report, though most happily sign it (and of course I would recognize their handwriting!). It is insightful and makes them feel valued.”

Use Your Humor

From Pamela M., a sixth grade social studies teacher at Sedgwick Middle School, in West Hartford, Connecticut:

“Humor must be used in the classroom. Joke, laugh, dance, sing, shout. I do it all; I think every teacher should. It helps kids stay focused on the lesson, and sometimes it even helps them remember ideas and motivates them. So stand up on that desk and tap dance while you give instructions, talk in an English accent or sing the answers to a homework assignment. As one teacher said to me, "Teaching shouldn't feel like a job, it should be fun."

Question of the Week: Summer Reading

“Relaxing with a juicy novel might be what you’re looking forward to this summer. What good read do you suggest for the summer? We’d love to hear both professional and recreational recommendations.”

Comment on This Tip »

Teacher Inspiration

From Gowhar Badshaw:

“What inspires me as a teacher is the desire to inspire my students to want to learn in my classroom. I believe students are willing to discover and apply new information if it is presented in an interesting, challenging and relevant way. I strive as an educator to apply rigorous teaching methods across a broad range of informative, innovative, and interactive assignments. I structure my classroom in ways that take into consideration students' diversity -- as a class, as learners, and as individuals -- and encourage collaboration and active learning experiences. The successful classroom is one where students enjoy learning, accept responsibility for their own learning process, and are capable of integrating their new knowledge and skills in multiple ways outside the classroom.”.

Iowa's 5th Congressional District Report Card

May 24, 2010

In this MegaVote for Iowa's 5th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes
Senate: Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
House: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass; America COMPETES Reauthorization Act
Upcoming Congressional Bills
Senate: Supplemental Appropriations bill
House: American Workers, State and Business Relief Act
House: Defense Authorization Act, FY2011
House: America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010

Recent Senate Votes

Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act - Vote Passed (59-39, 2 Not Voting)The Senate passed this bill that would overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system. The bill ust now be reconciled with the House version. Sen. Charles Grassley voted YES......send e-mail or see bio. Sen. Tom Harkin voted YES......send e-mail or see bio.

Recent House Votes

Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass; America COMPETES Reauthorization Act - Vote Failed (261-148, 22 Not Voting)The House fell short of the 273 votes needed under suspension rules to pass this bill that would reauthorize science research programs. Republicans argue too many of the $48 billion bill’s programs are duplicative while Democrats argue the bill will increase economic competitiveness.Rep. Steve King voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Upcoming Votes
Supplemental Appropriations bill - H.R.4899 The Senate is expected to spend most of the week working on this supplemental spending bill.

American Workers, State and Business Relief Act - H.R.4213 The House is scheduled to take up this bill to extend certain tax cuts and benefits extensions that are set to expire soon.

Defense Authorization Act, FY2011 - H.R.5136 The House is also scheduled to work on this $760 billion measure authorizing defense spending for the upcoming fiscal year.

America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 - The House may also vote for the third time on this bill that would reauthorize science research programs.

Texas Board Adopts New Social Studies Curriculum

Board member Mary Helen Berlanga shows her frustration at the numerous amendments under consideration during a meeting of the Texas board of education regarding state social studies standards on May 21 in Austin, Texas. — Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas schoolchildren will be required to learn that the words "separation of church and state" aren't in the Constitution and evaluate whether the United Nations undermines U.S. sovereignty under new social studies curriculum.

In final votes late Friday, conservatives on the State Board of Education strengthened requirements on teaching the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers and required that the U.S. government be referred to as a "constitutional republic" rather than "democratic."

The board approved the new standards with two 9-5 votes along party lines after months of ideological haggling and debate that drew attention beyond Texas.

The guidelines will be used to teach some 4.8 million students for the next 10 years. They also will be used by textbook publishers who often develop materials for other states based on those approved in Texas, though Texas teachers ave latitude in deciding how to teach the material.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said after the votes Friday that such decisions should be made at the local level and school officials "should keep politics out" of curriculum debates.

"Parents should be very wary of politicians designing curriculum," Duncan said in a statement.

But Republican board member David Bradley said the curriculum revision process has always been political but the ruling faction had changed since the last time social studies standards were adopted.

"We took our licks, we got outvoted," he said referring to the debate 10 years earlier. "Now it's 10-5 in the other direction ... we're an elected body, this is a political process. Outside that, go find yourself a benevolent dictator."

GOP board member Geraldine Miller was absent during the votes.

The board attempted to make more than 200 amendments this week, reshaping draft standards that had been prepared over the last year and a half by expert groups of teachers and professors.

As new amendments were being presented just moments before the vote, Democrats bristled that the changes had not been vetted.

"I will not be part of the vote that's going to support this kind of history," said Mary Helen Berlanga, a Democrat.

At least one state lawmaker vowed legislative action to "rein in" the board.

"I am disturbed that a majority of the board decided their own political agendas were more important than the education of Texas children," said Rep. Mike Villarreal, a San Antonio Democrat.

In one of the most significant curriculum changes, the board diluted the rationale for the separation of church and state in a high school government class, noting that the words were not in the Constitution and requiring students to compare and contrast the judicial language with the First Amendment's wording.

Students also will be required to study the decline in the U.S. dollar's value, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

The board rejected language to modernize the classification of historic periods to B.C.E. and C.E. from the traditional B.C. and A.D., and agreed to replace Thomas Jefferson as an example of an influential political philosopher in a world history class. They also required students to evaluate efforts by global organizations such as the United Nations to undermine U.S. sovereignty.

Former board chairman Don McLeroy, one of the board's most outspoken conservatives, said the Texas history curriculum has been unfairly skewed to the left after years of Democrats controlling the board and he just wants to bring it back into balance.

Educators have blasted the curriculum proposals for politicizing education. Teachers also have said the document is too long and will force students to memorize lists of names rather than learning to critically think.

Tools for Adults to Help Kids Connect Safely

	Summertime in Cyberspace: Helping Kids Make Safe Choices As the school year rapidly comes to a close, teachers and parents should consider the fact that children and teens will soon have plenty of time on their hands -- frequently unsupervised. They will have ample opportunity to explore many nooks and crannies of cyberspace. How can the adults in children's lives make sure their online activities are safe and responsible? Read Full Article
	Use the Summer to Get Tech-Savvy! Paula White is an Albemarle County, Virginia gifted resource teacher. Paula shares with bNetS@vvy readers her own experiences with technology as well as practical tips she uses with her students as they begin their summer vacations. Paula's insights provide educators and parents' with ideas for keeping kids smart and savvy when using technology over the summer. Read Full Article
	Summer Time Safety Line Summertime means vacations, time at the pool, and for today's youth: time on the Internet and cell phone, often away from the eyes of parents and guardians. During the school year parents and teachers may disagree about whose job it is to educate children about how to be safe online, but in the summertime, it is clearly a parent's job to keep his/her own children safe. Read Full Article
	How Typical Kids — One 11, One 15 — Use Social Technology Two typical kids, four years apart in age. What kind of role does social technology play in their lives? How do they stay safe online? bNetS@vvy editor Mary Esselman interviews her nephew age 15, and bNetS@vvy Teacher's Desk contributor Paula White interviews her grandson, age 11. Read Full Article
	Summertime Safety Online What will your kids be doing this summer? Heading to camp, splashing around the local pool, working a part-time job — and maybe still managing to spend oodles of idle time online? How can caring adults keep up their kids' online summer activity and behavior? Read Full

LCEA Executive Board Meeting Minutes 05/13/2010

LCEA Executive Board Meeting
May 13, 2010

Place: High School
Time: 4:15
Roll Call: Barb Motes, Kim McLaughlin, Jennifer Doorlag, Dave Bergman, Tom McLaughlin
HS Reps: Allison Towne (absent), Ruth Kreger (absent), Sharon Crawley (absent) MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Dot Sillau
TH Reps: Lisa Scieszinski (absent), Joanna Stenlund, Kathy Dorsey, Farah Guetter
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham, Lee Dwyer, Angie Tucker

Secretary’s Report (Kim McLaughlin)
• Frank moved that the April meeting minutes be approved, K. McLaughlin seconded it, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report (Jen Doorlag)
• There were bills to be approved. T. McLaughlin moved that the bills be approved to be paid. Bergman seconded it. We have 25 dollars left to spend on retirees—for frames, matted, etc. The motion passed.

Building Reports
• Kreft: Discipline problems are no longer to be sent to the office, and teachers are losing duty-free lunch time.
• Titan Hill: There may be a battle about whether there is library time available (and therefore planning time) in the last week of school.
• Middle school: A teacher is being told to give up her planning time to tutor a student. This seems no different than subbing for a class, and we are paid for that. The suggestion is to keep track of hours and submit them.
• High school:

Committee Reports
• Negotiations (Beth Frank): Our last proposal is $350 added to the base, and theirs is $325. They want a salary schedule with three columns—salary before TSS, TSS, and total. We need a vote on whether to accept their $325 to the base. Stenlund moved that we accept the $325, Brougham seconded the motion, and the motion passed with a roll call vote of 12-1.

Old Business
• Retiring teacher awards: Stenlund has the drawings from Kari Lewis.
• Teacher of the Year awards: We have the names, but we need to order the plaques.
• High School Senior award: Lauren Petri won the award, and T. McLaughlin will present it at awards night.

New Business

Adjournment:
• Bergman moved that the meeting be adjourned, Dwyer seconded it, and the meeting adjourned at 4:40.

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

As you know, hundreds of thousands of educators across the country are receiving "pink slips" -- the situation is critical and growing worse by the day.

NEA is working to save educators’ jobs and we need your help. Join NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on Tuesday, April 27 at 8:10 p.m. EDT to learn how you can be a part of this call to action.

Because of your activism, both in the Association and in your communities, you have been chosen to take part in an unprecedented event – an interactive telephone town hall. You work in our schools every day. You know what educators face and what our students truly need. This special phone call will give you an opportunity to share your ideas and priorities with Dennis.
Out of NEA’s 3.2 million members, only a small number of activists, including you, will receive an invitation to join the call. On April 26, expect a call reminding you about the event. And on April 27 – the day of the telephone town hall – you will receive the call from Dennis that automatically connects you to this historic NEA event.

We need to keep kids learning and keep educators working.

Get ready! Get involved! Let your voice be heard!

NEA INSIDER--April 23, 2010

April 23, 2010

HELP US SAVE MICHELLE'S (AND YOUR) JOB!!

NEA member Michelle from Kansas shares her story:
I love teaching. The constant challenges of public education create the most rewarding experiences in this ever-changing career.

Last spring, I resigned from a safe, stable district where I was a tenured teacher. This year, I teach in an urban high school where roughly 80% of our students are low-SES, about 35% are special education students, and the ever-widening achievement gaps threaten the very existence of our school.

This is it for our secondary students; they have to have a solid education in order to change their future. Every single day utilizes every ounce of my knowledge, experience, training, and creativity. Every single day is worth it. Education has always been the great equalizer, removing limitations and allowing room for life's treasured possibilities.

Recently, our state legislature moved back the school notification of RIFs/nonrenewals from May 1 to May 24. Students will be out of school before I know whether or not I will be back next year. Five years ago, I was the district's nominee for secondary Kansas Teacher of the Year in a different district. Next year, I may not be anyone's teacher in any district.

And I absolutely still love teaching.

Cyberlobbyists - The situation is urgent. Hundreds of thousands of educators across the country have already received "pink slips" and more are to come. Talented educators like Michelle, who have dedicated their lives to the profession and are passionate about educating our nation's children, are losing their jobs. Not one fewer student is coming through our public school doors because of the economic crisis. Children get only one shot at an education and isn't their fault they are in school during this time of economic crisis. Layoffs, ballooning class sizes, and dramatic program cuts are irrevocably hurting our profession, shortchanging our students, and jeopardizing our ability to compete in the global economy.

THERE IS A SOLUTION! Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) Keep Our Educators Working Act (S.3206) would provide $23 billion to help stave off educator layoffs. A similar proposal, the "Jobs for Main Street Act," already passed the U. S. House of Representatives in December 2009. But, to save jobs, the Senate needs to pass this bill NOW!

TAKE ACTION: The e-mail you send could help save your job or the job of a colleague!

* Urge your Senator to cosponsor the Keep Our Educators Working Act and to push for its immediate passage.

* Urge the President to support immediate action to save and create hundreds of thousands of education jobs.

* Urge your Representative to cosponsor the Local Jobs for America Act, which Representative Miller (D-CA) has introduced in the House. Although the House has already acted, the Miller bill sends a strong message about the need to get an education job package done and enacted into law.

* Share your story. Is your job in jeopardy? Have you already received a "pink slip?" The key to getting education jobs funding approved by Congress is demonstrating to Senators the huge impact not passing an education jobs funding bill would have on public schools and the economy as a whole. The more stories we can present to lawmakers from a cross-section of the country, the more successful we will be.

* Visit our new Education Votes site to share your story and read about other actions you can take to make sure your voice is heard on the issues that matter the most.

Additional Information:

Read the testimony of Iowa State Education Association President Chris Bern on "Education Funding and the Education Jobs Crisis," presented to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education, on April 14, 2010. U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, also testified at this hearing and added his support for an education jobs bill.

Check out NEA's education jobs advocacy packet, including estimates of layoffs and program cuts by state, stories from real educators who have lost or fear losing their jobs, and news clips and videos from around the country on the education jobs crisis.

See how many education jobs the House-passed bill will save/create in your state.

See how much more money your state would get under the jobs bill than it would have a chance to "win" under the competition for "Race to the Top" Funds.

See how much funding your state will lose once monies under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expire, unless Congress provides more funding in a jobs/economic recovery bill.

ESEA/NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REAUTHORIZATION: TELL CONGRESS TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR KIDS
Reauthorization of ESEA has kicked into high gear. NEA is urging Congress to work with educators to craft a reauthorization package that:
Promotes innovation and 21st century skills in public schools, using research-based approaches and strong collaboration among stakeholders;
Provides students with a rich, challenging curriculum that allows multiple ways to show what they have learned;
Elevates the profession to attract great educators and leaders for every public school;
Facilitates greater parental and community involvement and engagement in all schools; and
Champions adequate, equitable, and sustainable resources/opportunities for all public schools.

TAKE ACTION:

* Tell Congress what students really need to succeed.

Additional Information:

Read NEA's letter and supporting materials submitted to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for the April 22nd hearing on "Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child." Materials address issues such as student health, safety, and well-being; teaching and learning conditions; parental and community engagement; equity in resources and opportunities; and class size reduction.

Read NEA's letter and supporting materials submitted to the Senate HELP Committee for the April 19th field hearing on "Innovation in Public Schools." Materials include NEA papers on elevating the profession and ensuring every child a quality teacher and links to articles and stories on innovative programs to ensure great educators.

Read NEA's letter and supporting materials submitted to the Senate HELP Committee for the April 15th hearing on "Teachers and Leaders." Materials include NEA papers on elevating the profession and ensuring every child a quality teacher and links to articles and stories on innovative programs to ensure great educators.

Read NEA's letter and supporting materials submitted to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for the April 14th hearing on "School Turnaround." Materials include examples of successful collaborative transformation models and links to videos highlighting successful transformation programs.

ISEA President Testifies for US Congress

Millions of public school children to be affected by educator layoffs; At least 125,000 educators expecting pink slips

NEA urges immediate passage of Keep our Educators Working Act

April 14, 2010

WASHINGTON— As the school year winds down, kids across the country are preparing for summer break, camp and family vacations. Yet, as the end of the school year approaches, so does the likelihood that there will be fewer educators there to welcome the students back in the fall. With three months left in "pink slip" season, the National Education Association is projecting at least 125,000 educator layoffs—with that number likely to increase. State and local budgets are at critical levels, more cuts are looming, and the prospect of larger class sizes, less individual attention and more crowded school buses has parents concerned.

NEA is urging immediate passage of the Keep Our Educators Working Act, introduced today by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Education Committee.

“When educators lose their jobs, our children lose too,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “The students who were in our schools yesterday will be there again tomorrow. And they will still need individual attention and resources to help them achieve. They will still need counselors, nurses, reading specialists and others to help them succeed. These cuts shortchange our kids, and frankly, they deserve more than that.”

Millions of public school children will be affected by the projected layoffs. School budgets across the country have already been cut to the bone, with some districts moving to four-day school weeks, cutting programs or even closing schools. These layoffs and cuts are coming at the same time that schools are facing demands for better academic outcomes.

Some districts are choosing to cut programs rather than lay off staff; some districts have no choice but to cut both programs and staff. Either way, those actions are a losing proposition for millions of public school students.

“The Keep Our Educators Working Act would provide $23 billion to extend already successful State Fiscal Stabilization aid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This would save or fund hundreds of thousands of education jobs, and it would be a tremendous help to states in dire financial circumstances,” said Van Roekel. “But more importantly, it ensures that millions of America’s students will not be bearing the brunt of the nation's economic woes.

“We thank Senator Harkin for introducing the Keep Our Educators Working Act and urge the Senate to act quickly on its passage. We also hope that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will urge the Senate to quickly pass this important aid.”

At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Iowa State Education Association President Chris Bern testified that the ARRA was critically important to Iowa, funding 6,715 education jobs— teachers, librarians, nurses, and support workers— across the state. Nearly 5,000 of those jobs were funded through the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.

“The Senate needs to act quickly on an education jobs package,” testified Bern. “This will go a very long way to help avert the crisis that is right in front of us.”

Prospects are bleak for teachers—those who are getting layoff notices as well as those who are being asked to do much more with much less. Read about what educators are saying about crowded classrooms and dwindling resources. Their stories are being shared through NEA’s activism Web site EducationVotes.

Teacher Quality Committee Meeting Minutes 03/23/2010

Teacher Quality – March 23, 2010 Minutes
The meeting was called to order by Dave Black at 4:17 p.m. Members present: Barb Grell, Linda Hahn, Jeanne Bartholow, Sean Dunphy, Pat Thomas, Al Lorenz, Mark Schweer, Kim Jones, Dave Black, Chuck Story, and Laurie Thies.

Approval of Minutes – Motion made by Sean Dunphy to approve the February minutes, seconded by Chuck Story.

Market Factor Pay Plan

Dave Black proposed adding content area specialties to the special education listing for the MS and HS certification areas. Sean Dunphy proposed adding an area of emphasis for candidates seeking the Middle School Generalist endorsement. The law changes on July 1, 2010 to require this addition. After this date, the grade 5-8 listing will not be sufficient and candidates seeking this endorsement must have an area of emphasis.

The committee approved these additions.

There are currently two teachers seeking the Middle School Generalist endorsement. Sean will speak with them about the new law requirements. The committee agreed that, if needed, these teachers can reapply to obtain compensation for extra classes required.

In round 1 of money distribution, 8 candidates applied. Two have completed their endorsements and 5 are still working toward completion. In round 2, the four applicants are still working on their endorsements.

There is currently $5,200 available, so the district will offer a round 3 application process. Information will be forthcoming. Applications are available on the district website and are due by April 15th to the building principal.

Some modifications to the form are being made: adding the endorsements discussed above, changing the monetary amount available, and fixing the date due to the principal.

Chuck raised the question about using the money to assist potential new hires in obtaining their required endorsements. The committee discussed the point. It was decided that this money would be used for people currently under contract at the time of the offering. The TQC could offer another round, if there is money remaining after round 3 that could be used for this purpose.

Barb moved to accept the changes and proposals and to offer round 3 with Mark seconding. It was a unanimous vote to accept the changes.

Reflection on the District Day
Dave shared the information gathered from the District Leadership Team as they reflected on the district day. The TQC shared similar views: felt the day went well, well organized, appeared that all participants appreciated some part of the day’s presentations, provided 2 ways of looking at the Iowa Core.

Teacher Evaluation System

Part I

Dave shared information from the accreditation team visit. The team found the district was lacking evidence that everyone was being evaluated on a consistent basis. Dave proposed having the principals complete a checklist that documents completion of the professional development plan, the two reflections (December, March) and the final reflection. Chuck wondered if it would be sufficient to put the professional development plan and the final reflection together in the file at the ERC. Barb and Sean said they already used a sort of checklist of their own to keep track. Kent agreed. Kim proposed a master list that would allow all the people at the high school to keep track so no person was overlooked. Sean suggested a Google doc where all staff would be listed and all principals could access it. Dave agreed that would be helpful in that all the district employees could be listed and all supervisors could access the same document.

Part II

Dave then brought up a question sent to him by Barb Motes concerning portfolios. There seems to be confusion about whether a teacher must create a portfolio or not. The committee checked the references to a “portfolio” in the evaluation document. It is in two places; the mentor section and the summary sheet. The summary sheet (pg. 39) also provides the district definition of a portfolio: A portfolio is an adequate collection of evidence for each teaching standard that reflects a teacher’s practice over time.

The committee discussed their understanding of the definition. The consensus was that a “portfolio” could take on any form (folder, box, electronic, etc.) The important component is the need for a collection of evidence, over time, for each standard. The TQC felt that the document language was sufficient. People with concerns may still address their TQC and LCEA representatives who can use the Evaluation handbook pg. 39 for clarification.

Part III

Dave raised the issue of incorporating student achievement data into the teacher and principal evaluations. This has arisen as part of the federal focus on tying school monies to requirements that include this expectation. The Race to the Top application made by Iowa includes language about this. The push seems to be towards a growth model (how much the student has improved over the year) rather than the current model of all shall be at grade level proficiencies. This would require multiple assessment measures tied to demonstrating growth.

While Lewis Central is not currently part of the Race to the Top application, this model is a part of the federal and state movement. Dave’s concern is that the district needs to look at professional development around writing good professional development goals that with a focus on improving student achievement. This will help keep the district in alignment with federal and state movements.

The committee members expressed some concern of what types of measures would be used, how many would be considered necessary, the need for the focus to be on growth of a student over the course of a year rather than proficient/not proficient, and the need for the district to work with teachers on this issue.

Membership
The TQC is seeking applicants at the elementary level to fill an opening on the committee. The LCEA is working to fill the position.

Laurie Thies moved to adjourn and Al Lorenz seconded. The meeting ended at 5:20 PM.

LCEA Executive Board Meeting Minutes 3/11/2010

LCEA March Meeting Minutes
Date: 3/11/2010
Place: Titan Hill
Time: 4:15

Roll Call: Barb Motes, Kim McLaughlin, Jennifer Doorlag, Dave Bergman, Tom McLaughlin HS Reps: Allison Towne (ab), Ruth Kreger, Sharon Crawley (ab)
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Dot Sillau
TH Reps: Lisa Scieszinski, Joanna Stenlund, Kathy Dorsey, Farah Guetter
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham, Lee Dwyer (ab), Angie Tucker (ab)

Secretary’s Report (Kim McLaughlin)
• Bergman moved that the February meeting minutes be approved, Kreger seconded it, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report (Jen Doorlag)
• Bergman moved that the report be approved, Argotsinger seconded it, and the motion passed.

Building Reports
• Kreft: Report cards cannot be printed until all grades are in, and they were supposed to be ready to send out with kids today. The teachers didn’t receive them until the afternoon, at which time, they have to stuff envelopes with the report cards and other papers. There seemed to be no option of sending out the report cards and other papers tomorrow instead.
• Titan Hill: The teacher who was accosted by an administrator was apologized to, we hear. Also, there is a refusal to remove snow from handicapped spots in the parking lot.
• Middle school: They are planning for ITBS, and there is a great deal of stress related to the school being on the list. There are a couple of district policies (social promotion, refusal of content-specific professional development) that could be changed to help the situation. Good news is that some of the kids seem to recognize the need to do well in classes and on tests. There was a long discussion of a mismatch between our curriculum and the ITBS/NWEA exams.
• High school: Everything seems to be going pretty well.

Committee Reports
• Negotiations (Beth Frank): We got the responses about the insurance question. Nineteen said hold firm with our agreement as it is, and eleven said we could look at making changes. Mediation is 5:00 on March 29 at the ERC. This is an open meeting.
• Grievance (Tom McLaughlin): No report regarding grievances.

Old Business
• Elections: K. McLaughlin is waiting to collect ballots. She will count them over the weekend and send out an email with the results.
• The March dinner was canceled because of lack of response. We will reschedule the dinner for post-election.

New Business
• Retiring teacher awards: Titan Hill will handle these.
• Teacher of the Year awards: Kreft will handle these. Each building needs to contact members for their individual Teacher of the Year.
• High School Senior award: The high school will take care of this. K. McLaughlin will have Curt Mace put out the application for the scholarship.
• April Delegate Assembly: The DA will be on April 9-10 in Ames. Tom and Kim McLaughlin, Mary Bleth-Harris, and Dave Bergman will be attending.
• Voting for Tom McLaughlin, Anne Travis, and Margaret Clapper for State Delegate to the NEA RA:

Adjournment:
• K. McLaughlin moved that the meeting be adjourned, Stenlund seconded it, and the meeting adjourned at 5:00.

Race to the Top: Which states made the list of finalists?

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced Thursday that 15 states and the District of Columbia are finalists for Race to the Top education grants. The winners will be chosen in April.
States competing for billions of dollars in education stimulus funding found out today whether they’re still in the running for the “Race to the Top.”

Out of 41 applications, 15 states and the District of Columbia have made the cut so far. They’ve been invited to Washington to make the case that they will be the best trailblazers for innovation and reform in K-12 public schools.

The competition has been a catalyst “to dramatically reshape America’s educational system ... prompting states to think deeply about how to improve the way we prepare our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in announcing the first round of finalists.

The finalists are: Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

A high bar?

The US Department of Education will announce winners for the grants – totaling $4.35 billion – starting in April, with a second round of applications being considered this summer. The bar is set high and the number of winners in this first round is expected to be small, in the single digits, Secretary Duncan said. President Obama has proposed an additional $1.35 billion in his budget for a third round of such grants.

Some observers say the finalist list would be shorter if the Education Department truly wanted to set a high bar. It includes a lot of “marginally reform-minded states,” says Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

A number of states have passed reforms – to lift caps on charter schools or to allow the linkage of teacher evaluations to student test scores, for instance – partly to compete for the grants.

Yet some states that have made reform efforts, such as California and Michigan, did not make the finals. It remains to be seen whether they’ll reapply for the second round of grants. (Click here to read more about California's major education reform efforts.)

States are being judged on past reforms and how strongly they are planning to pursue changes in four areas:

* Standards to prepare students for college or careers in a global economy.
* Measuring and improving student learning by building better data-tracking systems.
* Recruiting and retaining effective teachers and principals.
* Turning around the worst-performing schools.

What some finalists have done

Tennessee, one of the finalists, passed its First to the Top Act in January. One of the new requirements is that half of evaluation criteria for teachers be based on student achievement data, including standardized tests and statistical estimates of how much gain a given teacher’s students have made – a controversial issue in many states and school districts.

Rhode Island, another finalist, stirred up controversy recently when the Central Falls district fired all of its high school’s teachers in a state-approved plan to turn the school around after it was designated one of the worst in the state. (Click here to read the Monitor's coverage of the Central Falls flap.)

Beyond the states that ultimately win the money, Race to the Top is part of a politically strategic shift to more competitive grants by this administration, says Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform.

States and Congress are “getting used to this notion that [the federal government] is not just going to keep putting money into school systems that are not serving kids the way the nation expects them to," says Mr. Williams. "The public will support more money for education but only if they feel like it’s being put to good use.”

Obama angers union officials with remarks in support of R.I. teacher firings

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
By Michael A. Fletcher and Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 2, 2010

President Obama voiced support Monday for the mass firings of educators at a failing Rhode Island school, drawing an immediate rebuke from teachers union officials whose members have chafed at some of his education policies.

Speaking at an event intended to highlight his strategy for turning around struggling schools by offering an increase in federal funding for local districts that shake up their lowest-achieving campuses, Obama called the controversial firings justified.

"If a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn't show signs of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability," he said. "And that's what happened in Rhode Island last week at a chronically troubled school, when just 7 percent of 11th-graders passed state math tests -- 7 percent."

The board that oversees Central Falls High School took the startling step last week of firing 93 teachers and other staff members after the teachers union refused to agree to a plan for them to work a longer school day and provide after-school tutoring without much extra pay.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, whose union represents the faculty in Central Falls, one of the poorest districts in Rhode Island, responded forcefully to Obama's remarks.

"We know it is tempting for people in Washington to score political points by scapegoating teachers, but it does nothing to give our students and teachers the tools they need to succeed," she said in a joint statement with other union officials.
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In an interview, Weingarten said Obama's comments about the school "don't reflect the reality on the ground and completely ignore the commitment teachers have made to turn things around." Weingarten said the union was "profoundly disappointed by the comments" and said the president "seems to be focused on . . . incomplete information."

Obama has often challenged union orthodoxy in his education agenda, promoting the expansion of public charter schools -- which frequently are not unionized -- and teacher performance pay. The two major national educators unions are not formally opposed to those ideas, but many of their members are skeptical.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said repeatedly that he wants to work with unions rather than impose reforms on them, and the National Education Association, with 3.2 million members, and the AFT, with 1.4 million members, have generally sought to play down policy differences with the administration.

Obama's comments came as he spoke at a meeting of America's Promise Alliance, a group founded by former secretary of state Colin L. Powell and his wife, Alma. The group has launched an initiative aimed at curbing the nation's school dropout rate.

"This is a problem we cannot afford to accept and we cannot afford to ignore," Obama said during the event, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

The White House said 1.2 million students drop out of school each year. The problem is concentrated in the nation's poorest schools and among minority students.

Obama has sought to combat the problem with an infusion of federal aid for school districts that develop innovative plans to help students graduate. With the proposed funding, Obama is placing a bet on four strategies to fix thousands of failing schools.

Each of the strategies, at minimum, appears to require replacing the school's principal. The "turnaround" model would also require replacing at least half the school staff.

"Restart" schools would be transferred to the control of independent charter networks or other school management organizations. "Transformation" schools would be required to take steps to raise teacher effectiveness and increase learning time, among other measures. The fourth strategy would be closing a school and dispersing its students.

Decision to fire all of R.I. school's teachers sad, desperate

By Valerie Strauss

Special to The Washington Post
Monday, March 1, 2010

Finally, a school system has decided to fire all the educators at an ailing school.
Why didn't we think of this sooner?
Firing some of them hasn't really proven effective in turning around schools, has it? So why not get rid of all of them and start over?
The school committee in Central Falls, Rhode Island's smallest and poorest city, voted to fire every educator at Central Falls High School at the end of the school year. The committee did this because about half of the school's students graduate, and only 7 percent of 11th-graders were proficient in math in 2009.
At the committee meeting Tuesday night, 93 names were called for firing -- 74 classroom teachers, plus reading specialists, guidance counselors, physical education teachers, the school psychologist, the principal and three assistant principals, according to the Providence Journal. Not one was good enough to stay.
Some of the teachers at the city's only high school cried, but the committee held firm.
It's no wonder that Education Secretary Arne Duncan applauded the move, saying the committee members were "showing courage and doing the right thing for kids."
Courage, indeed.
Now, all they have to do is find 93 excellent professionals to take their places. Recruiting the best educators should be easy, especially when you can offer them life in a very poor town and a job with no security.
h school students because their poor performance was all about the adults at the high school.
Their elementary and middle school education -- or lack thereof? Not a problem. Their sometimes difficult home lives? Naw. That doesn't affect how a kid does at school.
No Child Left Behind, a federal law that has driven schools to narrow curriculum and use rudimentary standardized tests to measure progress? Not an issue.
Firing all the educators may sound bold to some, but it sounds sad and desperate to me.
There is no evidence that wholesale changes at schools make a difference at schools, though it has been tried repeatedly in districts around the country -- even in Duncan's Chicago public schools, which he ran for years before leading the Education Department.
Duncan tried a lot of things during his more than seven years as Chicago schools chief: shutting down schools, hiring experts in turning around schools and firing a lot of people. The results? To put it nicely, there was no Chicago miracle. Some schools improved, others didn't.
That's because grand gestures don't work to improve schools. It would be nice if they did, but time and time again, we've learned they don't. Making schools work is a very difficult job. There is no one thing to blame; there is no single remedy that works for every school or district.
Let Duncan call those school officials courageous. It sounds foolish to me. And the people who will suffer most? As usual, the kids.

Penalties for Public Service

Educators share how unfair laws are threatening their retirement security — and possibly yours.

Two little-known laws, the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, are affecting the retirement benefits of educators. NEA members, along with Dennis Van Roekel, explain how damaging these laws are and why we need to work to repeal them.



Want to Learn More?

Lynn Brooks Hunt's Social Security benefit went from $1,700 a month to just $188--just because she's a teacher. Read her story in this month's This Active Life magazine and learn more about the unfair federal laws that are chipping away at some educators' retirement.

What You Can Do

It's easy.

1. Go to NEA’s electronic petition to Congress. If you are or will be personally affected by GPO or WEP, add your story to the pre-written text. If your elected officials have taken a position for repeal, thank them. It’s important that they know it matters to you.

2. Send a letter to your member of Congress or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask for your Representative and Senators by name, and tell them to repeal GPO and WEP.

Got a little more time?

Write a letter to your local newspaper explaining why GPO and WEP should go.

Will NCLB Be Left Behind?

By Alain Jehlen

There’ll be some changes made in the No Child Left Behind law if proposals being put forward by officials of the Department of Education win approval in Congress. There's been no formal announcement and not much in the way of details, but some important elements have been reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post:

No more “adequate yearly progress,” which 30 percent of schools already can’t make.

No more “utopian” (Secretary Arne Duncan’s term) 2014 deadline for every student in America to be “proficient.”

Instead, a new goal: All students must leave high school “college or career ready.” What does that mean? A consortium of states is working on common standards to define it.

All in all, the proposal for a new law is expected to be patterned on the current “Race To The Top,” which is part of the Obama Administration's economic recovery program. One feature of Race To The Top is heavy pressure on states to evaluate teachers on the basis of student test scores. Most teachers consider that unfair because student scores depend on many factors over which teachers have no control. NEA leaders say tying test scores to teacher evaluation would also be counterproductive because it would punish teachers for taking on the hardest challenges in the most difficult schools, where extraordinary effort is needed just to get average test scores.

Another feature of Race To The Top which federal education leaders reportedly want to use in a revamped NCLB is a competitive grant approach to doling out the billions. Officials have said they want to move away from formula funding—giving out money according to how many students a state serves in various categories, such as low-income. That’s how most of the money has been distributed since the law was first passed as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act under President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.

The new idea is to get schools to do what Washington thinks is best by making states and districts compete for the limited federal money.

The Bush Administration strategy was mostly to get schools to change by punishing them. President Obama seems inclined to reverse that. Or as Teddy Roosevelt didn’t say, “Speak loudly but carry a big carrot.”

Earlier this month, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) issued a report titled "Education at the Crossroads" proposing a very different vision of the state and federal roles in education.

The federal government, said a bipartisan panel of state legislators, should focus on outcomes, like cutting the drop-out rate, and let states and local districts decide how to get there. Federal officials are “not very good about dealing with student achievement and school reform because they use a cookie-cutter, top-down approach focused on process, not results,” said NCSL staff member David Shreve. He said some of the requirements imposed by federal officials for states applying for Race To The Top Funds have “little to do with student achievement.”

“There’s a better way to support schools than being involved in day-to-day matters,” Shreve said.

In addition to the major substantive changes he will propose for the law, Secretary Duncan has made clear that he also wants a new name. “No Child Left Behind,” which once sounded so good that nobody could be against it, has become a symbol of federal initiatives gone wrong.

NEA has been running a marathon, online brainstorming session to come up with a good new name. Click here to read some of the entries so far and add your own.

That discussion board is part of a broader forum in which educators are talking about how NCLB affects their students and debating a wide range of ideas for changing NCLB.

Martin Richter wrote:
"Part of the genius of American education has been that [it] encourages creativity and innovation. If we begin to emphasize test-taking and pencil/paper activities, we are likely to develop a nation of people who are good at taking tests, and very little else."

Jane Watson wrote:
"The biggest problem is poverty. Politicians need to realize that parents need to be paid a living wage and that it's not the teacher’s fault if the child is hungry or ill. (In Yakima, the school board gave the retiring superintendent a $300,000 retirement, but has not yet settled with the paraeducators, most of whom bring home less than $1,000 a month.)"

Many of those who commented agree on some important ideas: Stop the test score obsession, one size doesn't fit all, parents and society must share responsibility. But it's a free-wheeling debate with some energetic disagreements.

Join in and speak your mind!

Suspended in Seattle

We were punished for protecting our kids.

By Juli Griffith and Lenora Quarto
We protected our special education students from the Washington state test at the request of their parents. For that, our district wants to punish us.

The two of us team-teach 12 students, K-5, in a self-contained classroom for students with multiple disabilities.

In 2007, we were told to administer the Washington Alternate Assessment System to our students in grades 3-5, and we did. It took nearly three months because the test had to be given a little at a time, to each student individually. Meanwhile, our other six children were with our assistants.

Although the test was modified, it measured our students achievement against grade level standards. Because our students are cognitively at ages six months to two years, the assessment was not at their level. It had nothing to do with the goals and objectives designed for them.

Our goal might be to teach them to hold a spoon or recognize their name in print, and the test covered fractions. In fact, one student would start crying every time we got to the part on fractions.

So last year, we described the test to the parents. They said it was ridiculous. One said, “If I had known you were doing this, I would have told you to stop.” Another said, “I’m sick of tests that tell what my child can’t do. I want to see what he can do.”

We did our own research and found that parents do have a right to refuse state assessments. Since the parents had expressed their opinions to us, we thought this was all that was needed. So we didn’t give the test.

The way the district sees it, we were given a directive and didn’t follow it. The reason why held little significance to them.

The district feels we influenced the parents. Nothing could be further from the truth. As teachers, our job is to work with parents and guardians and, with informed minds, determine what is best for their child.

Administration did not contact the parents to ask whether they wanted their children tested, nor did they tell us the parents request had to be in writing — not until our first meeting about suspending us for 10 days without pay.

Once we knew they wanted the refusal requests in writing, we got them. At our second meeting with administration, we and our Seattle Education Association representative presented these letters.

We were confident that once administration saw our parents' wishes in writing, they would know why we did not administer the test. We were wrong.

With support from the Seattle Education Association and the Washington Education Association, we are appealing the district's 10-day suspension.

The Recession Hits Home -- And then the Classroom

How job loss and a suffering economy are hurting student success.

In January, the technology giant Dell closed its shiny new plant in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and terminated more than 900 jobs. It’s a decision that doesn’t compute well for kids.

Recent studies have shown that a parent’s job loss can have devastating effects on children. In the short term, they’re much more likely to struggle in school, and the ill effects may last long into adulthood. And it’s not just North Carolina’s children who have been caught in the economic chaos. Across the country, communities have been gripped and tossed by a recession that may be over – but still has left nearly 6 million people out of work.

“We have always known that socio-economic status and changes in socio-economics affect students and their ability to be successful in the classroom,” says Tripp Jeffers, president of North Carolina’s Forsyth County Association of Educators. “When students are worried about whether their mom or dad is going to be able to find a job, whether they’re going to have electricity that week, or whether they’re going to have to move, all those are stresses that undermine their academic success. We’ve always known that to be the case – and it’s just being amplified by the current recession.”

The latest study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in November, looked at homes where a parent had lost a job and found that those children had a 15 percent greater chance of repeating a grade. Further investigation found that those students hadn’t had any greater chance of retention before the job loss, “suggesting a causal link between the parental employment shock and children’s academic difficulties.” For students whose parents had a high school education or less, it was worse; for students whose parents had completed some college, the effects were minimal.

Other research has shown that the effects of parental job loss can extend beyond childhood. In January, an Australian economist found that, after parents lost their jobs, their teenage children were less likely than their peers to enroll in community college or other higher education, maybe because they felt pressure to earn money for their families. And these can be long-lasting effects – in 2005, a Canadian study found that children of parents who lost their jobs earned about 9 percent less, on average, than similar children of parents who held on to their jobs. They also were more likely to receive unemployment and other government welfare benefits.

None of this surprises David Stephenson, a retired guidance counselor from Rhode Island, where unemployment neared 13 percent in January. The loss of a parent’s job likely has a two-fold effect, he suggests. On the one hand, even though you might think the parent suddenly has all this time to devote to the child’s education, it really doesn’t work like that.

“When people are obsessed with other things in their lives, they’re much less likely to be involved in their kids’ lives,” he says. “When Mom and Dad are worried about where the food is coming from or if they’re going to lose the house, then the last thing they’re worried about is whether the algebra is done.”

At the same time, their kids are distracted from their schoolwork too, Stephenson points out. “They know they cost money. They know they put financial demands on the family. They get that guilt going.”

But job loss doesn’t have to mean the end of a child’s academic career. The study showed clearly that well-educated parents, despite job loss, were able to somehow protect their children from disastrous consequences. “[They] may be more likely to maintain...behaviors that facilitate children’s academic success even in the face of short run income or other disruptions,” the study’s authors, Ann Huff Stevens and Jessamyn Schaller, wrote.

Educators can also help these and other students in a variety of ways. Just being aware – and sensitive to – the conditions of a child’s home life can be helpful. Stephenson recalls a student of years ago whose grades and attendance took a precipitous drop, prompting school officials to hold a “disciplinary hearing” with her.

“The first words out of her mouth were, ‘Right after Christmas, my mother kicked me out so her boyfriend could move in, and I’ve been living in a car with my boyfriend, but then the car caught on fire and my books burned up.’”

Did that child need to be suspended? Stephenson definitely didn’t think so. What she needed was more academic support and social services to help her find a more stable place to live.

“You just don’t know what might be happening in a student’s life,” the retired counselor says.

Of course, many educators have their own recession-related problems, especially the thousands who were laid off at the start of this school year and the many more who face unemployment next year. “We have a number of members whose husbands or wives have lost their jobs – which makes their own work more stressful,” North Carolina’s Tripp Jeffers says. It also makes the work of the Association around salary and benefits even more crucial.

For its part, NEA has urged Congress to extend aid provided by the American Recovery and Investment Act, which provided nearly $50 billion to states to save more than 250,000 education jobs, and it applauds President Obama’s job initiatives, which should help keep more educators and others off the unemployment line. “All in all, President Obama’s proposed 2011 budget bodes well for education,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Even in these tough economic times, it is clear that the President is unwilling to sacrifice the future of our children and our nation."

Teacher Quality Committee Meeting Minutes 02/16/2010

Teacher Quality - February 16, 2010 Minutes
The meeting was called to order by Dave Black at 4:33 p.m. Member present: Barb Grell, Tom McLaughlin, Kim McLlaughlin, Linda Hahn, Jeanne Bartholow, Sean Dunphy, Pat Thomas, Al Lorenz, Mark Schweer, Kim Jones, Dave Black, Chuck Story, and Laurie Thies

Approval of Minutes – Motion made by Sean Dunphy to approve the April 1st minutes, seconded by Barb Grell.

Budget – Dave shared that because the budget was cut by 10%, we did not have enough money to cover 2 days of PD this year. With the current staff, it takes about $59,000 to cover the cost of one PD day. We currently have $92,069 in the budget. We will pay for some committee work this year and carry the remaining balance into next year. There was also some discussion on Market Factor Pay. We have had two rounds of applications for this money, 8 teachers were approved during the first round and 4 were approved in the second round. The district plans to offer a third round, with $4,300 left in this pot of money. The district will identify the areas of need and get information out to staff.

Professional Development Day – March 1st – Kim shared a tentative agenda for the day and explained that much of the work on March 1st would be around gaining some common understanding of the Essential Concepts and Skills. There were some concerns expressed about the need for communication and dialogue among the DLT, content teams, and teachers. Teachers expressed the need to have “two way communication” and more information about the implementation plan that is due on July 1st, 2010. A motion was made by Tom M. to accept the plan for March 1st and seconded by Kim M. Vote was unanimous.

Site Visit Reflection – Dave shared some strengths that the site visit team noted in the district (climate, CTE, DLT, Co-teaching, alignment, etc.) and also shared that there were some areas of non-compliance that are already being attended to. Some of these included the lack of a SIAC, notifications of non-discrimination were missing a protected class, TAG identification at the primary and secondary level, and some issues with “offer and teach” at the HS.

Next Meeting Date – March 23rd from 4:15-5:30

Adjournment – Motion made at 5:45 by Barb G. to adjourn, seconded by Kim M.

LCEA Executive Board Meeting Minutes 02/11/2010

LCEA February Meeting Minutes
Date: 2/11/2010
Place: Middle School Media Center
Time: 4:15

Roll Call: Barb Motes (absent), Kim McLaughlin, Jennifer Doorlag (absent), Dave Bergman, Tom McLaughlin
HS Reps: Allison Towne (absent), Ruth Kreger, Sharon Crawley (absent)
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Dot Sillau
TH Reps: Lisa Scieszinski, Joanna Stenlund (absent), Kathy Dorsey, Farah Guetter (absent)
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham (absent), Lee Dwyer, Angie Tucker

Secretary’s Report (Kim McLaughlin)
• Bergman moved that the January meeting minutes be approved, Tucker seconded it, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report (Jen Doorlag)
• Frank moved that the report be approved, Bergman seconded it, and the motion passed.

Building Reports
• Kreft: Someone, on contract hours, is doing something having to do with his/her religion, including praying (individually). We discussed potential ramifications.
• Titan Hill: In the meeting with the principals, administration expressed concern about the way that teachers will be remunerated for attending a science conference—some will be paid by a grant, and some (the second grade teachers) will be paid by the District. Taxes will come out differently, and they don’t want teachers to worry about that.
• Middle school: The big concern is being on the “persistently low achieving” list. There is an ICN meeting with the state department on Friday.
• High school: We have another teacher who has interviewed for another position, and that teacher is being asked for a letter of resignation, though the teacher has not signed a contract with another district.

Committee Reports
• Negotiations (Beth Frank): Negotiations were last night. It was a short night because the Board was not ready to negotiate. Early retirement incentives, we discovered, do not come out of general fund—it comes out of the management fund. There was a discussion about insurance—the District wants staff to pay for part of it. Frank pointed out that if they want us to pay for the insurance, they cannot mandate that we take the insurance. The next meeting is not set yet.
• T. McLaughlin shared some of the conversation from the meeting with Schweer. Schweer left a message with Sen. Gronstal that expressed disapproval about the legislation regarding the SIG, so T. McLaughlin left a message for Gronstal thanking him for the same.
• Grievance (Tom McLaughlin): No report regarding grievances.


Old Business
• Elections: We have a rep position to fill for Kreft and the president-elect position is open.
• Dinners with members: The February dinner has been changed to the sixteenth, at the Pizza King. Please send names to Motes.
• By-law change: T. McLaughlin presented a proposal for a change in by-laws in order to allow for more people to attend delegate assemblies. K. McLaughlin moved that the proposed changes be made, Dorsey seconded it, and the motion passed.
• Read Across America in March: The middle school is hosting this year.

New Business
• ICN meeting on Friday re: middle school label: (see above)
• Saturday coffees: Next Saturday (2/21), at the public library, is the next legislative coffee.

Adjournment:
• Dwyer moved that the meeting be adjourned, Bergman seconded it, and the meeting adjourned at 5:19.

LCEA Executive Board Meeting Minutes 1/14/2010

LCEA January Meeting Minutes
Date: 1/14/2010
Place: High School Room 403
Time: 4:15

Roll Call: Barb Motes, Kim McLaughlin, Jennifer Doorlag, Dave Bergman (absent), Tom McLaughlin
HS Reps: Allison Towne, Ruth Kreger, Sharon Crawley (absent)
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Dot Sillau
TH Reps: Lisa Scieszinski, Joanna Stenlund, Kathy Dorsey, Farah Guetter
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham, Lee Dwyer, Angie Tucker

Secretary’s Report (Kim McLaughlin)
• Stenlund moved that the October minutes be approved, Towne seconded it, and the motion passed.
• Kreger moved that the November minutes be approved, Brougham seconded it, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report (Jen Doorlag)
• Towne moved that the report be approved, Dwyer seconded it, and the motion passed.

Building Reports
• Kreft: No report.
• Titan Hill: No report.
• Middle school: No report.
• High school: A member asked to be released from the contract and was told no. That person was asked to turn in a letter of resignation, but that person has decided not to take the other job offer yet. The member has been asked repeatedly for a resignation letter, and our advice to the member has been to ignore that request—no resignation letter should be submitted before having another job lined up.

President’s Report (Barb Motes)
• RTTT: The recommendation to the School Board will be to reject this grant money. There will be a second MOU coming. There is a lack of clarity about details, which has contributed to the rejection of the grant money.
• SIG: This is grant money for school improvement. It includes four options/models, none of which is attractive: become a charter school, close the school, fire the principals and teachers, fire the principal and revamp professional development. This grant will be rejected as well.

Committee Reports
• Negotiations (Beth Frank): Frank distributed a copy of the initial proposals (see attached) and explained the proposals from each side. The next meeting will be in February.
• Grievance (Tom McLaughlin): Legislative Conference was snowed out—not a grievance issue, of course. T. McLaughlin will also send some info pieces for buildings to post in order to make LCEA more visible. Midwest Regional Conference is coming up, and T. and K. McLaughlin will be attending.

Old Business
• Building meetings with principals: Weather has prevented these.
• Dinners with members: The January dinner has been cancelled. The February dinner is on the ninth. (That was later changed to the sixteenth.)

New Business
• Elections for new officers: We need names for the February meeting so we can vote in March.
• Taking a fourth person to ISEA Delegate Assembly: T. McLaughlin read a letter from a member who wants to run for a delegate position (to be voted on in March). We discussed a couple of possibilities for changes to the Bylaws in order to allow for more people to become involved in Delegate Assembly. T. McLaughlin will create a Bylaw amendment motion to be added to the ballot for Board positions.
• Read Across America in March: The middle school is hosting this year.

Adjournment:
• T. McLaughlin moved that the meeting be adjourned, Tucker seconded it, and the meeting adjourned at 5:15.

LCEA Executive Board Meeting Minutes 10/08/2009

LCEA October Meeting Minutes
Date: 10/08/2009
Place: Middle School Media Center
Time: 4:15

Roll Call: Barb Motes, Kim McLaughlin, Jennifer Doorlag, Dave Bergman (absent), Tom McLaughlin
HS Reps: Allison Towne, Brian Johnson (absent), Ruth Kreger, Sharon Crawley
MS Reps: Margot Argotsinger, Beth Frank, Al Lorenz, Dot Sillau
TH Reps: Lisa Scieszinski, Joanna Stenlund (absent), Kathy Dorsey, Farah Guetter
Kreft Reps: LoriAnn Brougham (absent), Lee Dwyer (absent), Angie Tucker

Approval of Agenda (Barb Motes)
•

Secretary’s Report (Kim McLaughlin)
• May 2009 minutes: Towne moved that the May minutes be approved, Kreger seconded it, and the motion passed.
• September 2009 minutes: Frank moved that the September minutes be approved, Towne seconded it, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report (Jen Doorlag)
• We’re getting ready for the audit. It’s due by November. We need three members to look over last year’s books.
• We finally received a bill for the delegate assembly from the ERC. That has now been paid. (There is a correction, moving that payment to the substitute line.)
• The check to ISEA has been sent now. (It was written in August, but was not sent.)
• Frank moved that the treasurer’s report be approved, Argotsinger seconded it, and the motion passed.

Building Reports
• Kreft: There is nothing to report right now, since it is the protocol to deal with building issues on that level first.
• Titan Hill: There were interviews for a new position, but there is some question about whether a budget cut will eliminate that position before it even gets off the ground. The number of students continues to grow. An issue about the schedules of some Title I positions (inequitable planning time given) has been raised with T. McLaughlin as grievance chair. The building reps have not met with Stopak yet about this.
• Middle school: The use of Capturing Kids’ Hearts has been effective so far. The consistency from room to room is better.
• High school: There are some issues coming up in relationship to the upcoming site visit. The core departments have been asked to have regular education teachers attach their names to grade books of the pull-out special education classes. The problem is that only two special education teachers have endorsements in the areas in which they are teaching pull-out classes. We talked about asking John Phillips to check into the legitimacy of this practice, just to verify that Thies has interpreted the law. Motes said that it is an expectation that building principals will meet monthly with Association reps, and we should be taking advantage of that opportunity.

President’s Report (Barb Motes)
• Budget: It is in cyberspace. We are basing a budget on 160+ members at $34 dues per member. With the idea of doing four dinners, one for each building, we will go over budget. Motes also raised the idea of prorating the “appreciation” money for members per building.
• Dinners: The nights are Oct. 13, Nov. 10, Jan. 12, and Feb. 9. Kreger is leading the high school group for Oct. 13. In October, the dinner will be at Riverside Grill. The goal is to get a varied group of members invited to the dinners, so we can benefit from a variety of viewpoints.
• Towne moved that each building be given $7.50 per member for celebration of appreciation weeks so the individual buildings have the permission to spend up to their amount without further voting, and Dorsey seconded it. T. McLaughlin said that we really need to also do some things to be visible (packets, banners, etc.) during those weeks. The motion passed.
• Meeting with Schweer: Motes asked about the early dismissal days, and Schweer said that they are not mandated by the State, they are not funded by the State, and those days do not have to follow IPDM. In terms of the planning of those professional development days, those are supposed to be determined by the teachers within the buildings. That is according to Schweer. T. McLaughlin said that Schweer has a clear vision of how district leadership relates to building leadership and to content areas. However, that vision doesn’t seem as clear to the rest of us.
• T. McLaughlin shared information about IPERS. The thirteenth check might disappear because the fund is exhausting itself.
• T. McLaughlin also shared some concerns about the way complaints against teachers are handled. He will send out a packet of info on policies and forms related to this issue.

Committee Reports
• Membership (Kim McLaughlin): The current total of our membership is 163 now that Ashley Wilson’s form has been located.
• Negotiations (Beth Frank): The Board needs to give the team authority to bargain. T. McLaughlin made the motion, Towne seconded it, and the motion passed. Bargaining training will take place in Frank’s room on Tuesday, Oct. 13. There is also an ISEA Bargaining Conference in Des Moines. Surveys are coming for our membership to fill out in order to give the negotiations team some direction.

Old Business
• T-shirt order:
• Building meetings with principals: See above.
• Dinners with members: See above.

Adjournment:
• Argotsinger moved that the meeting be adjourned, Towne seconded it, and the meeting adjourned at 5:25.