On the Brighter Side....

....at least we're not missing school days, right?

Right?

Ahem.

Merry Snowmas and Happy Snow Year, MLEA!

I Hope You Had a Great Holiday!

It started earlier than it was supposed to, with the two snow days wiping out last Thursday and Friday (and the Christmas parties that were supposed to go along with them), but it's nice seeing that we have a week in front of us now to recharge, travel, and enjoy.

A couple of things that I'd like to share here as we go into the new year:

• A belated but enthusiastic congratulations to Courtney Strozyk and Linda Sexton, who received their National Board Certification when the scores were announced earlier this month. I'm glad that the hard work paid off for them!
  
  
• There were about 30 teachers who attended the informational session about the National Boards last month at the High School. I'm getting some blog posts ready to go about that process; you can look for them to roll out in early January.
  
  
• I know one of the concerns expresed at the meeting, and it's a legitimate one, is that the $5,000 bonus for achieving the Certification could go away given our state budget crisis. When Governor Gregoire released her draft budget last week there was no mention of touching the program, which I think is a pretty good signal. Things could still happen in the legislative session, but right now I'm feeling pretty optimistic about that piece.
  
  
• The weather prevented a lot of us from attending his retirement party, but all of us in the MLEA give our best regards to Bruce Ottmar as he begins this next chapter in his life. Thank you for all your years of service to the Medical Lake School District, Bruce!
  
  
• There will be another WEAPAC drive coming your way soon, because even though the Governor's budget protects the NBPTS bonus it goes after the I-728 money for class size reduction and (even more importantly) the levy equalization money (LEA), which for us is several hundred thousand dollars a year.
  
  Dr. Veltri and I are planning some joint communications to talk about what the proposed cuts could mean for the MLSD, which I'll post here on the blog. It's a critical time for our schools, and I'll pass on any information as soon as it comes my way.

Thank you for visiting, and here's to a great 2009!

--Ryan, for the MLEA Exec Board--

MLEA Budget Approved

Thank you to everyone who voted!

In Loving Memory: Nancy Rice

Nancy, the former lead secretary at Blair Elementary and Michael Anderson Elementary, died tragically this morning in an automobile accident in Airway Heights. For all the families that passed through Fairchild during her time she was a familiar face, helping to register their students and fielding all questions that came through the front office. It's not an exaggeration to say that Nancy touched the lives of thousands of students; she was the quintessential example of what an office manager could be, and she was a big part of the success of her schools.

Please remember her family in your thoughts and prayers. We'll miss you, Mrs. Rice.

First Retirement Notification Incentive Date Coming Up

In the most recent Bargain we negotiated language regarding an additional stipend for teachers who announce their retirement early on; the exact language is on page 25, lines 24-27:

Employees who plan to retire at the end of the school year will be given an extended contract if they announce their retirement early. If the employee notifies the District with a letter of resignation by January 31st, the extended contract shall be worth $1,000; by February 28th, $800; by March 31st, $600; and by April 30th, $400.

Should you have any questions please contact an Exec Board member, or your building Bargaining Team representative.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

Merry Christmas, You're Fired!

Below is a blurb from Pat Clark, one of the Uniserv representatives who works down at the council office. Here in Medical Lake they've historically been good to us in this regard, so in many ways I'm passing this on more as a way to show what goes on in other districts, but if you have any concerns please let one of us know right away.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

-----------------------------------------

The evaluation/probation season is upon us. If you or someone you know is struggling or "has the eye of the administration" on them contact your building representative, local president AND especially your UniServ Staff Representative right away. Do not wait until AFTER the second evaluation or AFTER you receive notification (any time after October 15 and before January 20).

Be sure to read your contract. Some Collective Bargaining Agreements provide provisional teachers with the right to the probationary process beyond those rights afforded to them by law.

For more information on how the WEA can assist you call the UniServ office at 509-326-4046 or 888-525-4044. We have resources and experts who can help!

The 2008-2009 MLEA Budget

As with every year, we need you to vote on our budget for this school year.

First, please click here to see the proposed budget that Cheryl put together.

After you've had a chance to look at it, please click here to vote to either accept or reject the 2008-2009 budget. The ballots will be tabulated December 4th.

Thanks!

--The MLEA Exec Board--

The Future of the NWEA

A few weeks ago the Joint Legislative Task Force on WASL Reform had a meeting in Renton where the future of testing was the #1 topic of discussion. Superintendents from Vancouver and Richland gave presentations on how their districts use the MAP assessment from the NWEA, and it sounds like the legislators were very open to the idea of giving that test more play.

That would be great for us here in Medical Lake, since we've been using the MAP effectively for years; I'll let you know when I hear more!

Also, check out this article from Education Week on computerized adaptive testing, which is what the MAP is. It's a good overview of what goes in to constructing those sorts of tests.

--Ryan--

A Political FYI....

Joel Kretz, one of the members of the State House from the 7th Legislative District (everything north of Medical Lake, stretching all the way up to the Canadian border) was recently elected the Deputy Minority Leader for the House Republican Caucus. I met with Rep. Kretz on a couple of different occasions when I went back to Olympia last year; he's a good listener when it comes to education issues, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee he's also in an important position when it comes to the discussion on education funding.

Given that a good part of the Medical Lake SD lies within the 7th Legislative District, I'm optimistic that he'll continue to listen to us in his new position.

Happy Substitute Educators Day!

Here at the end of American Education Week we honor the substitute teachers who make it possible for us to attend inservice, have a sick day, look after our families, and go to meetings. A good substitute is worth their weight in gold, and all of us in the MLEA thank them for their time and dedication!

--Ryan, for the MLEA Exec Board--

Pride

I know there's a lot of you out there who would just as soon never here about WEA-PAC again.

I know there are many of you who would like to run the other direction when you see me or your building rep coming with a WEA-PAC form.

I know there are just as many more of you who would like to tell me to put that WEA-PAC form in a place the sun doesn't shine.

But, all that said, I am as proud as I can possibly be at how the first round of our WEA-PAC drive has gone, and thank with all my heart those of you who signed up to be members. We're doing great:

• If you look at just the raw numbers, we've got more WEAPAC members than Deer Park and Pullman.
  
• We've also got more WEAPAC members in Medical Lake than the Community Colleges of Spokane do, and they're three times our size.
  
• We have more WEAPAC members in Medical Lake than Pullman, Newport, Colville, and Riverside combined!
  
• On a percentage basis, we're ahead of East Valley and Cheney.

I'll have more information to send out to all of you shortly (probably after conference week and Thanksgiving) about some of the projections the WEA is making about the coming legislative session. I'll warm you up with the big news of the day, that we're facing a $5.1 billion dollar budget deficit now, and there's a ton of evidence to suggest that this legislative session is going to be one where we have to fight like mad to defend the gains we've made.

Your WEA-PAC money makes a difference in that fight. The next time you see your building rep coming with the sign-up sheet (we'll be having another drive this winter), please give it your thoughtful consideration.

With thanks,

--Ryan--

It's a Busy Time in the World of Education

Busier than you'd think, given the time of year, but the floodgates really opened right after the election, as noted by one member:

I am completely baffled. Since the results of the election, there has been regular negative news in the Spokesman starting with auditor suggesting an overhaul of the education system with specific details and suggestions. Today, district expense accounts are under scrutiny. I've already forgotten the third one I saw. Has WEA said anything about all this coming now? Was Bergeson hiding this or protecting us from this negative publicity? Is there more you hear coming down the pipe? Do you know how this kind of investigation has been funded or who has been asking for it?

And I'll share with you all the answer I shared with the member: we live in interesting times.

Well, we live in interesting times. :-)

Basic Ed Finance Task Force: This was the front page article about the commission lead by Dan Grimm. Last year the big discussion was about the Washington Learns commission that Governor Gregoire made to look at education in the state; Washington Learns didn't really accomplish anything except to punt to the Basic Ed Task Force and tell them to study things more. Pretty useless, really.

Dan's made it pretty clear that he's no fan of unions. Under his proposal collective bargaining would be done at the state level, there would be no per diem (because in his world, having per diem in some districts is unfair to those districts that don't have any), and salary would be differentiated based on different areas of the state, not on degrees or years of experience.

The WEA has presented to his task force a couple different times in conjunction with the Principals and the School Administrators. Every proposal--every single one--has a price tag of at least a billion dollars; the WEA proposal alone would require about $2.5 billion in new spending. I don't think that any of them have any chance of succeeding, because of the big budget hole we're already facing.

It's something to keep an eye on, though, because Dan Grimm is a pretty dynamic guy and if he can convince the legislature to take money from one area (the carve out, per diem, what have you) and put it somewhere else, that could be dangerous for us.

The State Auditor: A couple of years ago initiative something-or-another passed, mandating that the Auditors Office do more performance audits of state spending. Brian Sonntag, the state auditor, immediately took a look at the schools, because we're the biggest piece of the pie. Last summer they released a 400+ page audit of all the ESD offices around the state, last month they released their audit of the 10 largest school districts in the state (Spokane included), and this week it's the audit of travel practices at those 10 large districts + OSPI.

It's an interesting piece, because if the audit had come out before the election it would have been even worse for Dr. Bergeson; there are tens of thousands of dollars of waste identified from her office alone, including 400+ hotel rooms reserved for a conference that weren't used but that OSPI had to pay for anyhow.

What's Coming? Next month Governor Gregoire will release her proposed budget, which is almost certainly going to include some cuts to education. The big number there will be to see if she proposed a COLA for teachers at all or puts it on hold; I'm willing to bet the chance of us getting the COLA this year is slim to none. For a preview of what could be cut check out this website...

http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget/pog/finalreport2009-11.asp

...from the state Office of Financial Management, wherein they talk about the things that should be funded and the things they think should be cut to make this coming budget balance. There are a lot of good ideas that are going to go away.

WEA-Eastern Council Meeting, December 10th @ 6:00

The WEA-Eastern Uniserv Council will be having their annual Christmas celebration on Wednesday, December 10th at 6:00 at the Council office in Spokane. Senator Chris Marr will be there to speak and take questions, so I'm expecting some great insights into what we can expect from the coming legislative session. The December meeting is always a fun one to attend; if you're interested in coming, please let Ryan or Wendy know.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

It's American Education Week!

The report cards are done, Christmas is on the horizon. The Cougars and Huskies are soon to fade into the blessed oblivion of the off season, and conferences are next week. And, best of all, it's American Education Week 2008!

Feel good about what you do, because it makes a difference. Thank you for your work, and please know that your Association is always there for you when you want us!

With thanks,

--The MLEA Exec Board--

It's Not Funny, Because It's True

From The Onion: Majority of Americans Never Use Physical Education After High School.

"I don't know why they bothered teaching us all that stuff," said Higgins, who since graduating has not once encountered a situation that required him to move his body at a sustained pace or keep himself in healthy shape. "I mean, come on—when will I ever need to physically exert myself for an extended period of time?"

Higgins is not alone. According to a recent poll, nearly 85 percent of all Americans admitted that, since entering the real world, they have found very few reasons to utilize the concepts they learned in physical education. In fact, most high school graduates claim that despite their gym teachers' insistence that this knowledge would come in handy later in life, they have still never used bending, breaking a sweat, or coordination.

"I remember my gym teacher droning on and on about this thing called 'physical well-being,'" Higgins said. "I still don't even know what that means."

God bless ya, PE teachers--you do a hell of a job in the face of increasingly long odds. :-)

In Loving Memory: Thelma Spillman

Hello MLEA members,

On Tuesday night Thelma Spillman passed on after a long battle with cancer. She spent many years at Blair Elementary teaching kindergarten down in the old Botteen Annex building, retiring right before the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year.

Thelma was a woman of faith--faith in the Lord, faith in other people, faith in the kids that she taught. She personified grace, dignity, and kindness in everything that she did, and the hundreds of kids she taught are all better for having known her.

We'll miss you, Mrs. Spillman.

--Ryan, for all the MLEA--

Remembering Veteran's Day

One of the most well known poems of the last century, In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thank you, Veterans, for your service and sacrifice.

The Transportation Budget is Feeling Gassy

From a piece earlier this year in the Seattle Times:

The state funds only a portion of the district's transportation costs. The rest is paid for with levy money. So rising costs affect programs regardless of whether a district budgets enough money, said Susan Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the Northshore School District.

"Revenues to support schools are not keeping up with the increased cost of many things, including fuel," said Stephen Nielsen of the Puget Sound Educational Service District's construction services group. "To the Legislature's credit ... on the occasion they have allocated money for those needs, but it's not a regular adjustment."

This is one of those issues that effects everybody, and it’s certain to be a high legislative priority when Olympia gets going again in January. Larger districts like Mead struggle with the costs of driving thousands of students every day, while a district like Reardan (which covers as many square miles as East Valley, West Valley, Mead, and Spokane combined!) has to account for long rural routes that add up the mileage in a hurry.

Don Johnson did some figuring and found that it now costs $4.13 a mile to operate a school bus. That’s a pretty incredible number, and a large part of it is diesel being $4.00 a gallon. Consider, too, that the district has to supplement what the state gives us by using almost $200,000 a year out of the general fund, money that could be used for staffing and programs, and you start to see the scope of the problem.

Dan Cools does a superior job of running our bus barn; it’s just a shame that the state hasn’t risen up to the challenge of funding transportation the way it should. You'll be hearing more about this come January when the Legislature goes back in session.

4 Days Until the Election!

This is a copy of an email that I sent to the staff here at Anderson. If you'd like the stickers that are mentioned, just let me know and I'll email the template to you ASAP.

--Ryan--

------------------------------------------

Hi friends,

One of the things that I remember from election day growing up is that, after they voted in the morning before school, most of the adults could be seen sporting those "I Voted!" stickers that you used to be able to get at the polls. That tradition sadly went away with the rise of mail-in ballots, but the tradeoff is that I can vote while watching Gossip Girl, so I think that's reasonable.

Anyhow, I miss those stickers--so I went and made some. If you'd like an "I Voted!" sticker, there are some sheets in the staff room that you can use. I figure it's a quick and easy portable civics lesson that you can show on your chest.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

A Loud Party for Deaf Kids

Hello again MLEA members,

Many of you know that my daughter is profoundly deaf because of a condition called Congenital Cytomegalovirus Exposure. She has no hearing in her right ear and an 80% loss in her left ear that they're currently treating with a hearing aide. As her dad it's been a learning experience every day, with all the highs and lows that you'd expect, but I wouldn't trade the adventure for anything.

At WSU-Riverpoint they have a program called the HOPE School which works with kids from birth to 5 who have any degree of hearing loss. On Tuesday night they had their annual Halloween Party, and it was a real treat to see all the kids dressed up (pirates are popular yet again!) and cutting loose. The kids didn't care a whit about who had a cochlear implant or who had double hearing aides or who knew sign and didn't; they were looking to have a good time, and so they did. Especially mine :-)

School really is the great equalizer, where everyone has a chance to succeed and find their way. Thank you to all of you for the work you do for all the kids, and good luck with your Halloween celebrations tomorrow!

With thanks and gratitude,

--Ryan, for the MLEA Exec Board--

And you thought we had pretty strict tenure....

Check out Teachers Strike in Mexico for Hereditary Jobs at Joanne Jacobs' website; apparently down south after you retire you can guarantee that your child gets your position.

That gives me an idea for the 2011 negotiations! :-)

Dino Rossi and Christine Gregoire Have a Debate

Two weeks from today and the election will be behind us; three weeks from today the work for the 2010 election begins. We'll all get a reprieve from campaign ads, at least!

Of the 5 debates that they had, the best one for getting their insights into education was the 5th, hosted by King 5 TV out of Seattle. You can watch it off of their website here; the neat thing, too, is that you can watch it in sections, instead of trying to piece through the whole debate. The parts most related to education were 3 and 4.

Good luck to whichever candidate you're supporting--it should be a heck of a finish.

Why Teacher Compensation is Always a High Priority

Hat tip to NYC Educator, where I found the picture.

Why WEA-PAC Matters

Hello again,

If you haven't been approached yet about joining WEA-PAC you will be soon. WEA-PAC is the political action arm of the WEA, set up to promote candidates and legislation that support education here in Washington State. Some things to know about WEA-PAC:

• In the 2004 and 2006 elections, WEA-PAC supported 12 new pro-education candidates. Without their support the Simple Majority proposition for school levies would have died in the legislature, like it did for the previous 25 years.
  
  Why that matters for Medical Lake: We have a maintenance and operations (M&O) levy coming up this February. Given the state of the economy, 60% would be an almost impossible hill to climb, but with the Simple Majority we have a much, much better chance.
  
  
• Without WEA-PAC supported candidates, the COLA plus .5% would not have happened. How much has your pay increased this year?
  
  Why that matters for Medical Lake: Last year a beginning teacher made $32,746; this year it's $34,426, a $1,680 difference. Similarly, for those of you at the very top cell of the salary grid, last year you made a base salary of $61,720; this year it's $64,887, a $3,167 increase. Without action in Olympia, that wouldn't have happened.
  
  
• WEA-PAC has had much success that directly affects you, such as salary increases, I-728 funding, Pro-Cert improvements, pushing for enhanced retirement, maintaining funding for National Boards, full day kindergarten, and additional funding for health benefits.
  
  Why that matters for Medical Lake: With the National Boards project we're getting started, that $5,000 increase will really make a difference. 2/3 of our members pay out-of-pocket for health insurance; getting the state to pick up more of those costs is just like a COLA. With our poverty numbers we're still a far shot away from getting full-day K for our elementaries; it's legislative funding that will help us get there.

Joining WEA-PAC costs $2.25 a month--$27 for the year--and it can make a great difference for us right here at home. Please consider joining; it's an easy way to be involved.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via the Association email to the right, or call my cell.

With thanks,

--Ryan--

For the Math Teachers

The Eyeballing Game, which will test your geometric acuity in a pretty interesting way.

My accuracy went down the more I played; see how you do!

Phonebanking for Governor Gregoire October 20th

For anyone who is interested, the WEA-Eastern Office is holding a special phonebanking event on Monday, October 20th to try and get out the vote for Governor Gregoire. If you're interested or able to attend, please send me an email via the Association email address to the right.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

Our Libraries in the Cheney Free Press

In case you missed it, this past edition of the Cheney Free Press had a great article about the school libraries here in Medical Lake, including a picture of Pam Wilcox-Mann and a quote from MaryKay Rowles.

It's well worth your time to read, along with a different article in the same vein about our drama program that Ginny Luhn is working hard for this year at the high school.

Enrollment Period for State Guaranteed Education Tuition Plan (GET) Now Open

The Guaranteed Education Tuition Program (GET) operated by the State is now open for new enrollees. This is the pre-paid college tuition program that Washington founded a few years back where you can buy credits now at the current tuition rate to pay for college later on; 100 credits will pay for one year of college at the most expensive public college in Washington (Go Huskies!), with the money also being transferable to any college in the country.

We’re currently working with Lynn in the payroll office to see if we can get automatic payroll deduction set up. We’ll let you know if and when that goes through.

For more information you can check out their website above; the FAQ list is also very comprehensive.

So It Begins....

Coming Tuesday you'll see graphic evidence of the power of this year's COLA when you get your first paycheck with the pay increase. Given our state budget deficit, you might not see that again for a while. From the Olympian:

DeBolt and Alexander appeared to be split on whether cuts should include salary increases for teachers and state employees. Alexander says he believes Gov. Chris Gregoire’s contract negotiation for 2 percent yearly increases is reasonable.

But Alexander also wants to have fewer state employees and he’d like to see the state do contracting out of some services, something that was supposed to be part of the personnel reforms that created collective bargaining in 2002.

DeBolt said he is not yet sure if the state should consider freezing pay for state workers or teachers, which happened in 2003 when Dino Rossi was Senate budget writer. Rossi’s budget did include raises for the newest one-third of the teaching profession.

“Right now the most important thing we can do is be economically sensible. We need to make sure we don’t put any more burdens on the taxpayers of Washington. The money they make is a finite resource and we need to respect that,’’ DeBolt said.

I think we can all acknowledge that, as state employees, it's pretty apparent that the vicissitudes of the state budget process are always going to impact what we're paid. That said, increases in gas and health insurance are checking account killers.

What are your thoughts?

A Handy Website

Teacher Clock Hours.com is a comprehensive list of classes and workshops that you can use for continuing education purposes. I'm adding it to the tool bar over on the side; it's a good resource for us teachers to have!

2008-2009 Conferences and Workshops

This is a partial list of conferences and events happening in or near Washington State this year; I say partial because I'm certain that there are things that I've missed. If you know of a conference that should be on the list, please post it in the comments section and we'll get it updated ASAP!

Remember--even though the $95 travel allotment is no longer a part of the contract, there will still be staff travel. If there is a conference on this list that meets your personal and buildings interests, ask!

OCTOBER

• 5th to 7th: Washington Association of School Administrators fall workshop, Wenatchee.
  
• 9th to 11th: International Reading Association Regional Conference in Seattle. Registration deadline is September 25th. This is also the Washington Organization for Reading Development meeting for the year.
  
• 9th to 11th: Northwest K-16 Mathematics Conference meeting in Portland, Oregon.
  
• 9th to 11th: Washington Library Media Association annual conference in Portland, Oregon. This is a joint conference with the Oregon Association of School Librarians.
  
• 11th: Washington State Council for the Social Studies (WSCSS) fall conference, Edmonds Woodway HS.
  
• 23rd to 25th: The Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted (WAETAG) conference in Lynnwood.
  
• 26th to 28th: The Association of Washington School Principals fall meeting in Spokane.

NOVEMBER

• 6th to 8th: The Washington State ASCD annual conference in Spokane.
  
• 7th and 8th: WEA Collective Bargaining Conference in Sea-Tac.
  
• 12th to 15th: Washington State PLC Summit in Seattle. This event is sponsored by Solution Tree and focuses on Professional Learning Communities.
  
• 19th to 22nd: Washington State School Directors annual conference in Spokane.
  
• 20th to 22nd: National Science Teachers Association regional conference in Portland.

DECEMBER

• 3rd through 5th: Washington Educational Research Association (WERA) winter conference, Sea-Tac.

JANUARY

• 7th through 9th:OSPI Winter Conference in Seattle.

FEBRUARY

• Date TBD: WSCSS K-8 Conference, Seattle
  
• 4th through 6th: AWSP Assistant Principal's Conference, Vancouver
  
• 8th and 9th: WASA/WSSDA Legislative Conference, Olympia

MARCH

• 19th to 21st: Washington Science Teacher's Association spring conference, Moses Lake

APRIL

MAY

• 6th through 8th: Infant and Early Childhood Conference, Tacoma
  
• 13th through 16th: WEA Representative Assembly, Spokane.

JUNE

• 28th through 30th: WASA/AWSP Summer Conference, Spokane

JULY

• 1st through 6th: NEA Representative Assembly, San Diego, California
  
• 27th and 28th: AWSP New Principals/Assistant Principals Conference, Lacey

Cheney's New Boss

In the August 7th issue of the Spokesman-Review they ran a profile of Larry Keller, the new superintendent for the Cheney School District. He's a former base commander at Fairchild, so he knows the area well.

Welcome back, Commander Keller!

Happy Labor Day!

It's an odd situation when you have a day off of work to celebrate the work we do, and as teachers we go back to work tomorrow, and many of us will be working in our classrooms today, but no matter--enjoy the day, enjoy the sunshine, and enjoy the next year of your career!

With thanks for all you do,

--The MLEA Exec Board--

A Bit of Trouble in Cheney

A couple of weeks ago, in their August 21st edition, the Cheney Free Press ran a very well written article about a teacher discipline situation in Cheney that had resulted in a special ed preschool teacher getting yanked out of her classroom and moved to Cheney Middle School. I think it's a very balanced look at the situation, and a good overview at how these things can go.

Note that the Sally McNair mentioned in the article is also our UniServ rep out of the WEA-Eastern office downtown.

Hopefully, it will work out for the better for everyone involved.

Also check out the recent Free Press article about Scott Kerwien, the new counselor at the high school. All of us in the MLEA welcome him to the district!

Bellevue Teachers Set Stage For Strike

The 1,100 teachers in the Bellevue School District are set to start striking on September 2nd. While there's a wage issue on the table, one of the biggest themes that I heard from Bellevue's leadership at conferences over the summer was the "scripted, rigid" curriculum that the district is mandating the teachers use.

It's an interesting conversation to have. Curriculum is a district prerogative, and the role of the state in that domain has certainly increased. On my first grade team at Anderson we've been trying to blend the math curriculum we have with the new math expectations from the state and turn that into a cohesive sequence that also fits what we're looking for on the report cards, and all of this is before you get to teaching the actual lesson in front of the kids.

Keep an eye on what happens in Bellevue; the over-arching issue could mean something for us all statewide.

Summary of Changes to the New Contract

Bottom line: when it was all said and done, more was said than was done. That's not a bad thing. :-)

Below you'll find the major changes that we're asking you to approve in the new contract. During our meeting this Wednesday morning the members of the Bargaining Team will be happy to answer any questions, after which we'll have a ratification vote.

There are no major changes. The biggest items to know:
*You will receive 2 more hours of per diem this year, for a total of 86.
*The work day language has not changed; we will be studying possible options for change next year.

SOMETHING NEW: I've uploaded the tentative contract to a hosting website; you can click this link to read the final draft. I haven't tried this before, so please let me know if you run into technical problems.

Below I've listed the items that most impact you as a staff, going in order from the beginning of the contract to the end.

• The contract will be for three years, expiring at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.
  
  
• From now on a copy of the contract will be posted on-line, which should make it easier for everyone to get to.
  
  
• Pre-school is now guaranteed to have a paraprofessional.
  
  
• Remedial math classes at the Middle School and High School will be capped at 20 students.
  
  
• Combination class teachers will receive an additional $3,000 a year stipend.
  
  
• We now have better language for special education caseload size. There are still no firm caps, but the process of how to get relief for Resource teachers and ESAs is clearer.
  
  
• Also for special ed teachers, if you don't use your release days for IEP paperwork you'll be able to cash them out at the substitute rate of pay.
  
  
• Substitute teachers will now be placed on the salary schedule after 20 days of consecutive subbing, instead of 30.
  
  
• As was discussed in the spring, employees who announce their intent to retire by January 31st will receive a $1,000 stipend, with the amount prorated after that.
  
  
• Teachers may now access up to four days of Professional Leave per year to work on programs like National Board certification, or the Professional Certificate required by the state. This leave has to be arranged in consultation with your principal.
  
  
• There is no longer a $95 allotment per teacher for travel. This doesn't mean there won't be travel, which is a discussion that you'll be having at the building level.

In prepping for the bargain I looked at a lot of comparable data for our district and others, and please believe me when I say this: we already have a very, very good contract. I think that these changes will make it better, and I would strongly ask that you vote to ratify.

Please, ask questions. This is your contract, and all of us on the Bargaining Team are here for your benefit.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

A Step You Can Take to Help School Libraries

The Washington Library Media Association has started an on-line petition to try and raise awareness regarding school libraries here in Washington State; their goal is 10,000 signatures by September 1st. MaryKay Rolwes will be talking about it a bit more at our beginning of the year meeting this coming Wednesday.

I just signed it, and I'm #8447. Add your voice to the chorus and see which step you are towards the goal!

Starting the New Year Right

At NYC Educator there's a very readable blog post about having difficult conversations with parents over the phone. Also check out the links at the bottom of that post for more good ideas.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

--Ryan, MLEA President--

This Year's COLA, and Next Year's COLA

Hello again, MLEA members.

This post to the blog may be a little wonky, but it also has a direct impact on your paycheck.

First, at the end of September you'll be seeing the beginning of an all-time pay increase as teacher salaries go up 5.1% 3.9% of that is because of the I-728 COLA; .7% is because of the COLA suspension from 2003 and 2004; and .5% is "equalization" to bring the state salary schedule in line with what some of the larger districts are able to pay.

That's the good news. The thing to keep an eye on will be what happens in the legislature regarding next year's COLA. To wit:

1) Forbes Magazine says that Seattle has the highest inflation in the country, and that's the number our COLA is based off of. From the article:

If you live in Seattle, it might be time to ask for a cost of living increase. The city has the highest inflation rate in the country.

"Seattle household income is fairly high, and that helps to maintain a high rate of inflation since higher income areas can afford price increases," says Steve Cochrane, an economist with Moody's Economy.com. "Some of it is fuel, but housing prices have also been more stable than anywhere else on the West Coast, which adds to inflation."

Normally, Seattle's 3.7% unemployment rate, well under the national average of 5.5%, would be a good thing. But a growing economy with low unemployment drives up wages and costs. The Emerald City's consumer prices are up 5.8% from this time last year, which ties for the highest inflation rate in the country with Dallas, where high energy costs for home cooling and driving are eating up incomes.

2) Similarly, Olympia Business Watch has the numbers on the national inflation statistics, which are equally high.

It will be an interesting process to watch when the Legislature goes back in January.

The Toughest Thing You'll Ever Watch...

...is the story of Danielle, the feral girl of Florida, one of the most shocking abuse cases you'll ever see. There's a happy ending, thank God, but the thought of any child going through what she did is hard to countenance.

I bring it up to note that the calendar has moved over to August and soon enough it'll be our time to get back into the classroom and start making a difference in the lives of kids again. They'll all come with gifts, and some will come with baggage. One of the neatest things to me about the profession we're in is that we have the opportunity we do to put our students on the right path.

Teaching--it's a new adventure every day. :-)

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we'll see you soon!

--Ryan, MLEA President--

John Merrow on Students During Deployment

On YouTube right now there's a great series that PBS reporter John Merrow did for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on how kids cope when their parents are deployed for the military; they're very good pieces that resonate strongly with what we do here in Medical Lake. You can find them on Merrow's YouTube channel, here. I've embedded part 1 above.

Note that YouTube is blocked from work, for obvious reasons, so you'll need to be off of the MLSD network to watch.

The Primary is Coming! The Primary is Coming!

In about three weeks, on August 19th, it will be primary election day here in Washington State. After the Governor the position with the most potential to impact us is Superintendent of Public Instruction, so I thought I'd pass along some resources that I've found that can help as you study the candidates!

The six candidates are, along with their campaign websites:

• Terry Bergeson, the incumbent running for her fourth term. Her official OSPI biography can be found here.
  
• Randy Dorn, recently Executive Director of the Public School Employees Union and a former state legislator.
  
• David Blomstrom, a fan of Hugo Chavez and past candidate for the office. His website is NSFW.
  
• Enid Duncan, a city council member and small business owner from Edgewood with experience advocating for special needs students.
  
• Donald Hansler, a former teacher and writer who once put forth an initiative that would have required lawmakers to pass the WASL in order to hold office.
  
• John Patterson Blair, a supporter of school vouchers. He finished third in the race in 2004.

Richard Roesler of the Spokesman-Review did an overview of the candidates on his blog in May; there was also an article with a bit more exposition in it, here.

Over at Politicker WA you can find out information about all the candidates by clicking on their name to see what stories they've done.

TV Washington has put together a Video Voter's Guide which gives you a chance to hear from the candidates themselves; if you follow the link to "View All", you can also download the interviews as an MP3. This goes along with the state's printed voter's guide, which should be in your mailbox soon if you haven't received it already.

The OSPI race could well be decided here in the primary; if anyone gets over 50% of the vote, they win. Make your vote count!

It's Good to be a Small Rural Local

Washington DC's public schools are in a constant state of flux. Last year a woman by the name of Michelle Rhee was hired as School Chancellor, and she's been making wholesale changes--you might have seen her interviewed on Charlie Rose recently, and she also gets a ton of coverage during the segments John Merrow does for the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour. Their contract negotiations are not gooing well at all, which isn't uncommon.

It's nice to have the contract settled--peace of mind is a good, good thing.

D'oh, and Some Health Insurance Numbers

A few weeks ago when I posted inviting you to fill out the survey regarding work day language someone left a comment that I didn't notice until today. I apologize for missing it, particularly because it's one that bears some discussion:

Thanks so much for your timely updates. How are things going? With a lean year, burdened by finaincial woes and a depressed economy teetering on the brink of recession and the energy crisis hitting us all square in the pocketbook what can we expect in the way of gains for the certified staff? What negotiating concerns have been agreed upon in content and what is still on the table? Have you any idea if the health insurance cost are going to once again absorb any or part of our COLA? Thanks for your time and efforts this summer, keep cool.

I emailed Lynn Paul in the District Office regarding health insurance information, and here's what I heard back from her:

Hello Ryan-the State Fringe Benefit Allocation will be $732 a month for 2008-09..an increase of 3 1/2%

The Health Care Authority remittance for retired school employees (carve out) paid by the District has increased 4.7% to $60.40. Group Health premiums have increased an average 8.9%, the WEA Premera Blue Cross 7.25% and the School Pool Premera Blue Cross 5.75%. WA Dental remains the same (111.20) and Willamette Dental increased 5.37% to $71.75. There will be a letter going out in August to employees about the Benefits Fair and will probably be stating the above also so people can prepare for the increases. Let me know if any further questions and thanks for helping to promote the attendance.

Essentially, then, health insurance costs are doing what they've been wont to these past few years--outpace the money that the state puts into health insurance. Thus, those of us who pay out-of-pocket (OOP) for insurance will likely be paying a bit more, but at least we've got our 5.1% COLA to help out.

Speaking of insurance costs, as we were getting ready for the bargain with the school district we did some research on the health insurance pool, and the numbers that came back were rather surprising. The chart below shows you the amount of money people paid OOP for their health insurance, as well as the number that paid in the indicated range:

Dollars OOP Per Month	Number of People
$0	43
$0 - $10	2
$10 - $20	19
$20 - $50	7
$50 - $100	25
$100 - $200	12
$200+	10
$300+	9
$400+	3
$500+	2

What does it mean?

• In a district of approximately 130 certificated staff members, 1/3 don't pay anything OOP for their health insurance. That's a fact worth celebrating.
  
• On the other hand, there's also the upper quartile with 36 folks paying more than $100 a month OOP for their insurance. These are the staff for whom the insurance pool is especially important, and I'll freely admit to being one of them.
  
• Given the general high cost of health insurance in the area, even those of us who pay out of pocket are still doing well.

All of this is a build up to remind you that the annual Benefits Fair is Monday, August 25th beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the High School. It's your one chance a year to have the insurance reps right there in front of you, and we all thank Lynn for putting it together. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy your summer!

--Ryan, for the MLEA Exec Board--

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Contract

Hello MLEA Members,

This past Tuesday, July 15th, we had our final round of negotiations with the school district, and we've finished up the proposed contract for the next three years. It was a great discussion about how to improve what is already a very good document, and all of us on the Bargaining Team would like to thank Dr. Veltri and the administrative staff for the dialogue.

I'll be posting more details about the new contract on the website in the coming weeks, and at the staff breakfast on August 27th we'll vote on ratifying.

As the lead negotiator I'd like to give special thanks to Cheryl Spilker for her calm perspective, Sharon Smith for her great ideas, and Melanie Kilgore for her energy and thoughtfulness. A first-time team member was Sheila Overman from Hallett, and her eloquence in speaking about special ed issues really helped to move the conversation forward. Tim Martin, Tina Evans, and Vikki Hernvall did a great job representing the high school. Thanks as well to Terry King for keeping me honest and Sam Peterson for running the numbers like a pro, as well as Wendy Stewart offering her presidential perspective.

A big "Thank you!" also goes out to Carol Tyson, an ex-officio member of the team who was always there to lend an ear when we needed to bounce ideas off of someone.

Should you have any questions about the process please feel free to contact the Bargaining Team member from your building, or your local MLEA Exec Board member.

We Need to Hear From You Regarding the Contract

Hello again,

Negotiations with the district for our new contract have been moving along well. We're entering a critical juncture, though, and we on the Bargaining Team need to hear your thoughts about one of the major outstanding issues: work day language.

The current relevant language on workday reads as follows:

Employees shall be in their buildings one-half hour prior to the start of school and shall remain one-half hour after the dismissal of school. The starting and dismissal times, which may vary from school to school, shall be determined by the Board, but no teacher shall be required to report for duty earlier than 7:15 a.m. one day per week and 7:30 a.m. four days per week nor remain on duty later than 3:45 p.m. one day per week or 3:50 p.m. four days per week. The length of the assigned work day shall be substantially the same for all teachers and will consist of an average of seven and one-half (7½) consecutive hours including thirty continuous minutes duty-free lunch.

What we heard from you during the bargaining survey in February was that in some buildings morning meetings were being called outside of that 7:30 a.m. window, and that the one day a week of 7:15 was particularly onerous for staff members with children at home.

What I need to hear from you, as your lead negotiator and MLEA president, is how far you want us to push on this issue. If you follow this link you'll be connected to an on-line survey--it's quick and easy, at only three questions--where you can give us your input.

You're also more than welcome to call me at any time with questions or thoughts about the process (951-1290), or you can contact the members of the Bargaining Team from your building.

Thank you for your time and guidance. Our ultimate accountability is to you, the members of the MLEA, and we want to make sure we do all that we can to honor your voice.

The survey will really help us in that process.

--Ryan, for the Bargaining Team--

How's Bargaining Going?

Well! We've had two meetings with the district so far, along with some very constructive dialogue. Our next meeting is set up for Thursday, June 19th. If you have any questions or guidance, please feel free to email me or speak with the Bargaining Team representative in your building!

--Ryan, for the Bargaining Team--

The Bergeson Vote

You may have seen the article in the Spokesman today about the vote of No Confidence in Terry Bergeson that was taken at the WEA Representative Assembly on Friday. Just to be clear, based off of the polling that we ran a few weeks ago your Medical Lake delegation abstained from the vote; we didn't feel that it would be appropriate to put our name to the motion.

If you have any questions Ryan Grant, Wendy Stewart, and Dona Wagner were this year's delegates.

Pictures to follow soon!

The Budget Crisis--It's Not Just Us

The Washington State School Director's Association does a great job with their daily E-Clippings of collecting all the education news from papers around the state. Many of the articles in recent weeks have been highlighting the budgetary problems that districts have been having; taken in the aggregate, it's a pretty bleak picture. Below are links to stories that have appeared in E-Clippings in the past few weeks, from all around the state, on this year's budget woes:

Friday, May 9th:

• The Kitsap Sun: South Kitsap School District Joins Those With Budget Woes
  
• The Bellingham Herald: 3 school boards (Blaine, Ferndale, Meridian) OK staff, program cuts

Thursday, May 8th:

• The Tacoma News-Tribune: Teacher raises put pressure on Bethel district budget
  
• The Aberdeen Daily World: 15.5 fewer teachers in Aberdeen next year

Wednesday, May 7th:

• The Vancouver Columbian: Faced with a projected $2.4 million deficit next year, Vancouver Public Schools may eliminate 26 staff positions and make other cost-saving changes next year.
  
• The Kitsap Sun: Tough Choices Ahead for Bremerton Schools
  
• The Olympian: Olympia School Cuts Draw a Crowd
  
• Peninsula Daily News: Port Angeles Schools Cut Budget, Keep Full Day Kindergarten

Tuesday, May 6th:

• The Everett Herald: Cuts Loom for Schools Across Snohomish County
  
• The Olympian: Olympia parents look to compromise on budget cuts

Monday, May 5th:

• The Spokane Spokesman-Review: Central Valley School Board still mulling budget cuts
  
• The Kitsap Sun: Unexpected expenses force Bremerton Schools to cut back
  
• The Bellingham Herald: 'Perfect storm' batters state, county school budgets
  
• The Aberdeen Daily World: Hoquiam cuts won't be easy

Friday, May 2nd:

• The Peninsual Daily News:Port Angeles school officials tell why they'd forgo pay raises

Thursday, May 1st:

• The Spokane Spokesman-Review: Mead schools face cash shortfall
  
• The Spokane Spokesman-Review: School look to trim budgets
  
• The Walla Walla Union Bulletin: Dayton Schools to cut seven positions

Tuesday, April 29th:

• Tacoma News Tribune: White River Schools forced to make cuts
  
• The Olympian: North Thurston OKs budget cuts

Monday, April 28th:

• The Peninsula Daily News: Port Angeles school leaders offer up pay raises to aid district

Friday, April 25th:

• The Kitsap Sun: As NK schools face $2.8 million shortfall, will pool be closed?
  
• The Walla Walla Union Bulletin: Dayton schools face $300,000 shortfall

Wednesday, April 23rd:

• The Bellingham Herald: Blaine schools face budget cuts

Monday, April 21st:

• The Abderdeen Daily World: Are Harbor schools headed for a “Waterloo”?
  
• The Ellensburg Daily Record: School districts grapple with finances

Olympia, Bremerton, Vancouver, Aberdeen, Bethel, Blaine, Ferndale, Meridian, South Kitsap, Port Angeles, Edmonds, Central Valley, Mead, Dayton, White River, Sumner, Puyallup, North Thurston, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Central Kitsap, North Kitsap, Medical Lake. North, east, west, south, all in the same house of budgetary horrors. And those are only the named districts; there are many, many more out there in the same boat.

At least we're all in it together. Yay?

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

Today, May 6th, is Teacher Appreciation Day, a day to celebrate all that we are and all that we do in the classroom. I hope that you enjoyed your trinket from the district, the lunch catered by the PTA, and the other shows of appreciation that will go on today and this week.

The thing I appreciate most about the profession is that it’s family friendly. I’m working half-time this year so that I can be at home to help with my daughter, and it’s been a great thing for her, my wife, and I. I’m looking forward to the upcoming summer where I can spend even more time taking her out and watching her grow, and that’s not an opportunity I’d have in many other professions. If you'd like to share why you teach in the comments below, feel free--it could make for fun reading!

Speaking on behalf of the exec board, we’re all happy to serve you, the MLEA membership, in helping to make teaching here in Medical Lake all it can be. We thank you for your help on the various initiatives we’ve had this year; it's your voice that matters the very most. Feel good about yourself on this Teacher Appreciation Day—you’ve earned it.

With thanks,

--Ryan for the MLEA Exec Board--

A Couple of Interesting Articles

One of the more interesting stories in teachers unions right now is that of the Rubber Rooms in New York City. In New York if you're accused of impropriety in the classroom you're sent to a holding facility where, for the duration of the investigation, you sit and wait for your case to be figured out.

Some teachers have been waiting for two years or more. They collect a salary the entire time. Hundreds of teachers are sitting in these rooms right now. You can read about it in the New York Village Voice, here.

Also from the east coast, at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland they've gone from "leaves of grass" to kicking ass over comments students are making about each other on Facebook. This month's NEA Today magazine has an article on cyberbullying that's full of resources; if this is something that you've had to address, it's a great read.

--Ryan--

Stopping Summer Learning Loss

There's an article on the subject in this month's NEA Today. It's full of the usual advice; I'm mainly passing it along because I love the accompanying graphic that came with the article. Remind you of any kids you've had?

Have a great week!

--The MLEA Exec Board--

Free Comic Book Day is Coming!

On Saturday, May 3rd area comic book shops will be opening their doors for Free Comic Book Day, a yearly celebration of graphic literature. The name is sincere; if you go to either of the stores listed you’ll be able to walk away a handful of free books, and in the past both have also had great sales in conjunction with the event. The area stores having events for Free Comic Book Day are:

• Merlyn's, at 19 W. Main Street in Spokane, one block west of the Globe Restaurant, 1 block east of Division.
  
• The Comic Book Shop, at 1401 N. Division (which is actually the part of Division that goes south, but OK), across the street from the Army Recruiting Station and Zip's Restaurant. They also have a place at Northtown Mall.

Enjoy!

Terry Bergeson/WASL Survey--Thank You!

There were 41 responses to the survey on the WASL and Terry Bergeson, and I'd like to thank everyone who responded. Your opinion matters to us, and I appreciate the time and guidance.

In the comments section there were some questions asked about the WASL fact sheet that was sent out to the buildings, mainly along the lines of "Where the hell did this come from?" It was created by the WEA as part of the larger OSPI/WASL project; we passed it along to you, but it was not developed locally. There wasn't proper attribution on the sheet, and I apologize for that oversight.

If you would like a copy of the survey results, or if you have any other questions about the survey, please let Ryan know.

Thanks!

Something To Keep An Eye On

States across the nation are passing a compact that would change the experience military kids have when they transfer from different schools reports the Associated Press:

The compact seeks to provide flexibility for the 1.5 million children of military families in the U.S. They attend an estimated six to nine school systems between kindergarten and graduation on average, and differing educational requirements in different states often add to their burden.

"Changing schools and making new friends can be hard on children whose parents are in the military," said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, whose signature Wednesday made Kansas the first state to approve the compact. "This bill will help ease the transition between schools by seamlessly transferring records."

The compact, which would become operational with adoption by 10 states, is intended to prevent children of military families from needlessly repeating courses or being denied access to extracurricular activities. It would provide alternative coursework options for districts that do not waive graduation requirements for students. Compact members would work to create uniform standards of practice, including the transfer of records, course placement and graduation requirements.

One example out of San Diego is the mandatory state history classes that are often required; kids who transfer in before their senior year are sometimes being required to take these classes at the expense of the electives that would be of real help to them.

Here in Washington we didn't sign on to the compact proper, but they did establish a taskforce to study it. One of the prime sponsors of the bill is Senator Mark Schoesler of the 9th Legislative District, which covers parts of Cheney, Medical Lake, and areas south.

We Need to Know Your Opinion of Terry Bergeson and the WASL

Hello again,

A few weeks ago I mentioned an upcoming project that we were going to be taking part in, organized by the WEA, to gather opinions from the membership on Terry Bergeson's leadership as Superintendent of Public Instruction and particularly on the emphasis that's been placed on the WASL.

At this year's Representative Assembly there will likely be a vote of no confidence taken on Terry Bergeson, and to that end every local in the state is being asked to poll their members. I've developed an on-line survey here to gather your opinions on these vital subjects; please take a few minutes to fill it out. It will be a great help to the Association.

(Please note: The District has no access to these surveys, as I've set up a private MLEA account. Your answers will only be available to the Association, so please be as honest as you want to be! ;-)

Here are some other sources of information that demonstrate the statewide scope of the project:

• From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer a nice overview of the problems many see with the WASL, along with information about the No Confidence vote.
  
• Also from the PI, good letters to the editor and a look at the ever-increasing costs of the test. One estimate says that administering the WASL could cost $47,000,000 next year. For comparison's sake, that's our district budget for 3 years, or enough to offer full-day kindergarten to another 30% of the kids in the state.
  
• The NPR station out of Pacific Lutheran University has an MP3 on the vote situation in Edmonds. it's about a 1-minute listen.
  
• The Everett Herald on the no-confidence vote, as well as The Tacoma News-Tribune.
  
• A release from the WEA describing the project.
  
• The Lake Stevens EA communicating with their memebrs.

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan.

Upcoming Events

This is a copy of the email that was sent out to you the day before spring break; I'm posting it here for posterity's sake. There's still time to sign up for the dinner with Dr. Semler--we'd love to see you there!

--Ryan, MLEA VP--

------------
Hello again! Before you head out to begin enjoying spring break there are a few union business items we'd like to make you aware of:

1) On Wednesday, April 9th Dr. Richard Semler will be speaking at the WEA-Eastern office at 5:30. Dr. Semler is running for Superintendent of Public Instruction, and he's got some great ideas on how to bring more sanity to the testing process here in Washington. If you're interested in attending, please let Ryan or Wendy know and we'll get a spot reserved for you!

2) The annual WEA Representative Assembly is in Spokane this year on May 15th, 16th, and 17th at the convention center, and we're looking for volunteers to help make the event a success. There are a number of jobs to be done (information booth, door guard, floor runner, hospitality, and many more); if you're interested in volunteering, the WEA will pay for your sub, and it's a pretty neat experience to see the WEA's premiere event up close. Please contact Ryan Grant if you'd be willing to volunteer a day or half-day.

3) All of us on the MLEA Exec Board wish you a happy and relaxed spring break--you've earned it!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask one of us, or your building reps.

With thanks,

--The MLEA Exec Board--

Spring Break: Good for Skiers! Bad for Gardeners, Sunbathers, Bloomsday Trainers, Outdoors Enthusiasts......

That's the view off my back porch this Saturday morning. It's pretty much the same view I had Monday morning. A spring break bracketed by snowy days. This has been a bizarre year for weather.

Back to work on Monday. We hope you had a good week off!

A little something for the upcoming WASL season

Courtesy of David Horsey, editorial cartoonist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. There's going to be a big discussion about Dr. Bergeson and the WASL at this year's WEA Representative Assembly, and in preparation for that we'll be coming to you in the next few weeks asking for your impressions of both the WASL and our current Superintendent of Public Instruction. Look for information in your mailboxes soon!

Horsey also wrote a thoughtful column, with a good range of reader comments, here.

A Good Stat for Us All to Know

The Simple Majority helped 70% of the recent school levies pass. That’s a lot of districts that don’t have to worry about trying for a second run, because they were able to pass on the first try.

It was the work we all did on 4204, the Simple Majority initiative, that made it possible. There’s a lot of power in what we do, and it’s always nice to see it pay off!

The Seattle Times on School Bond Elections

We weren't along in failing ours--around the state, 11 out of 13 bond issues run failed to pass. For a nice short read on the subject, click here.

Highlights from This Year's Legislative Session

Bill Freund, ace state budget analyst for the WEA, sent out an email to council presidents and staff on Wednesday highlighting some of the things we can look forward to next year:

*There will be no change to the phase-in of all-day kindergarten. In the House budget proposal there had initially been talk of suspending the increase in the number of schools served, but things are still on schedule. Sadly, the schedule doesn't reach Medical Lake for several years.

*More money is alloted for libraries and non-employee related costs (NERCs).

*The funded ratio of classified staff is increased from one for every 59 students to 1 for every 58.75 students. No school district can really operate on those numbers; for Medical Lake the old formula would pay for 33.9 paraprofessionals, while the new formula pays for 34.05 (based off of a 2000 student enrollment).

*The Promoting Academic Success program (PAS) has been eliminated.

*Health costs for retirees were scheduled to go up to $65.97 a month; instead, it will be $60.40. This saves us as a district nearly $9,000.

Keep watching this space; I'll post the legislative reviews from the major professional organizations as soon as they release them.

Update (4/23/08): Told you I would. The Washington Association of School Administrators here; the State School Director's Association here.

Clarity

I know that many of you saw the article in the Cheney Free Press relating to the waiver days that the district applied for. We've already used two LID/PDD days and moved the last day of school from June 13th to June 16th; pending OSPI approval, the other 5 days we missed will be waived. Hooray!

There is a piece of the article, though, that needs to be addressed:

Survey results showed respondents were more in favor of using both professional development days and extending attendance in June over a proposal to extend daily instruction time by a total of 30 minutes each day from March 1 through April 30 to make up instruction time. The proposal, according to officials “would send a strong message to our parents and community members of our commitment to protecting instructional time.”

When asked what their thoughts were on the proposal, some of the 89 respondents’ comments board president Julie Albright said she found troubling.

“Some of these answers disturb me, especially coming from some of our teachers. Like, ‘This is against our contract!’....It’s kind of disheartening,” Albright said.

Veltri clarified the proposal, had it been approved, wouldn’t have added to the required seven and half hours per day teachers are contractually expected to be at school. What would increase is instruction time with students, having students stay an extra 15 minutes before and after regular hours.

First, it needs to be understood that the extra 30 minutes a day wouldn't negate the need to make up days. There are dual requirements from the state for a certain number of school days AND a certain number of minutes; we have the minutes more than taken care of, but only with a waiver (like we have for the LID days) can days be skipped. The 30 minutes extra a day would have been just that--30 minutes extra--not a way to avoid the need to make up days.

Secondly, our position remains that the additional time would have been a violation of the contract. It may have been technically possible to operate within the strictest definition of the 7.5 hour work day, but there was no getting around line 11 on page 7:

Employees shall be in their building one-half hour prior to the start of school and shall remain one-half hour after the dismissal of school.

We could have ignored this clause, sure. That sets a dangerous precedent, though, that could have caused problems down the road. Plus, with our school day 20 minutes longer than other districts (like Spokane 81) we already give our kids a level of service that we can all be proud of.

Ryan Grant attended the school board meeting as the Association representative. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

--The MLEA Exec Board--

Richard Semler is Coming to WEA-Eastern! Save the Date!

At our regularly scheduled Eastern Council meeting on Wednesday, April 9th, Dr. Richard Semler will be coming to speak and hear from teachers in our area. Most recently the superintendent of the Richland School District, Dr. Semler is now running for the Superintendent of Public Instruction office against Terry Bergeson. You can check out his campaign website here; he's very thoughtful in his criticisms of the WASL, and we're excited to be able to host him for our meeting!

If you would like to attend the meeting please email Ryan or Wendy so we can forward your name onto the council office.

Vote for Wendy Stewart!

MLEA President Wendy Stewart is running to fill the newly created treasurers position at WEA-Eastern. She's been working in that capacity for the past year; this will just make her official.

We all wish her well in the elections on April 9th!

Good COLA news!

Last night at the Rep Council meeting for WEA-Eastern Washington we had a presentation from Rosemary Wolf, who works in the political action department at the WEA Headquarters in Federal Way. This year's I-732 COLA for teachers is 3.9%, which is based off of the consumer price index in Seattle; added to that will be a .5% catch-up AND a .6% salary equity bump, for a total raise next year of 5%.

Not too shabby!

It speaks very well of the influence that the WEA members have in Olympia. The emails you sent made a difference--we met our goals for both the 7th and 9th legislative districts, which are the main ones for Medical Lake. A special "THANK YOU!" to all the WEAPAC members in the district; the WEAPAC dues pay for our Legislative Action Teams, and that face-to-face contact we have with the legislators is crucial.

We shouldn't ever forget the bad ol' days, when our raises ran 0-0-4-0-3-0 over a six-year span. Since I-732 in 2001 our COLA raises have been 3.7, 3.6, 0, 0, 1.2, 3.3, 4.3, and this year's budgeted 5.0%. That's a measure of security many don't enjoy, and that's why we're encouraging everyone to email their legislators to say "Thank you!" for their support of education this session. You can send them an easy email throug the State Legislature website here or the WEA portal, here.

They're not part of our district....

....and I don't think they're represented by the WEA, but all of us wish the paraeducators association in Eastmont the best of luck for a just settlement as they near the end of their second full year of bargaining their new contract.

That's right, two years. That's a looooong time at the table!

I'll see your COLA, and raise you 5.5%

It's a critically important time for cyber-lobbying.

The House budget which passed on Monday includes a 3.9% COLA increase in teacher salary, plus a 1% catch-up to make up for one of the years with no raise we endured a few years back, plus another .6% in levy equalization money for districts (like us!) that weren't grandfathered in under the higher levy lid rate. The end sum is a possible 5.5% raise, IF we can get it through the Senate and the Governor.

That's where you come in. Please take a few minutes to follow the link off of this page and send an email to your state senator letting him or her know that the increased COLA is important to you. If you live in the 3rd or 6th legislative districts (Senators Lisa Brown and Chris Marr, respectively) it's especially important, and they seem to be on the fence right now.

Contacts from people who live in their district make a world of difference. Please take a few minutes (not from your work computer!) and let your voice be heard!

What's New With Bargaining?

This past weekend Diana Nicely, Tina Evans, Melanie Kilgore, Wendy Stewart, Terry King, and Ryan Grant all attended the Eastern Regional Bargaining Conference in Moses Lake. It was a very good conference that lead to a ton of discussion; the best part comes in hearing what the other locals around the state are doing and thinking about how the work they've done can benefit us.

We followed that up by attending a Beginning Bargaining Skills workshop at the WEA-Eastern office where we talked about strategies for successful negotiating, as well as the basics of table behavior. They served bake potatoes, and that's all it takes for me to call it a good day.

Bottom line, the team is working hard! We've identified a couple of key areas that we'll be focusing on, and our clear number one priority that we refuse to give on is....certainly not going to get posted on the internet. ;-)

Please always remember that the members of your bargaining team are always happy to listen to the questions and comments you have. It's your input that allows us to be successful; please share!

The 2008 Bargaining Team members are:

Medical Lake Elementary: Wendy Stewart, Lisa Dunlop, Jamie Meyers
Hallett Elementary: Sheila Overman, Cheryl Spilker
Anderson Elementary: Melanie Kilgore, Ryan Grant
Medical Lake Middle School: Terry King, Sam Peterson
Medical Lake High School: Vikki Hernvall, Tim Martin
Student Services: Holly Smith, Tina Evans

The Calendar is Available for Voting

At our labor/management meeting with Dr. Veltri and Mr. Headlee this past Thursday the district presented their proposal for the 2008-2009 school year calendar. We looked it over and couldn't see any obvious changes to make, and from that basis we decided to send it on to you to vote on. If you could add you tally to your building list sometime this week, it would be appreciated.

Thank you!

--The MLEA Exec Board--

It's Time to Do Some Cyber-Lobbying!

It's a big, big week for our legislative priorities in Olympia.

First, the bad news: HB2458, which would have added money to lower class size in grades K through 3, failed to make it out of committee. What we heard from our legislators was that it was just too expensive for now, but it's an issue that will certainly come up again in the full session next year.

The good news, though, is that our drive to restore the COLA that was cut in 2004 still has a good shot of making it through. The revenue forecast that was released on Friday doesn't help, but note that we still have a healthy state surplus, and a big part of that surplus is there because of the suspended COLA. Basically, it's our money that's floating their reserve.

What can you do? Please go here to send an email to your legislators and let them know that you support restoring the lost COLA this coming year. It's particularly important for us here in Eastern Washington to step up and let our legislators know what we want; if they don't hear from us, it's that much easier for them to vote no. The WEA form above is very easy and only takes a minute--give it a go!

What's Going On With the Make-Up Days?

There's a lot of confusion right now with our make-up days: how many do we have to do, when will we do them, are we going to make the school day longer, etc. Your Exec Board has been having some great conversations via the email, and this Thursday, February 14th we have our next Labor/Management meeting with Dr. Veltri where she'll lay out the District's vision for what should happen. Contractually the District is obligated to consult with us regarding changes in the school day and how we do make-up days, and I promise you that we'll be in touch ASAP with any proposals.

If you're hearing things and you have thoughts, PLEASE share them with your building rep or Exec Board member. Our greatest goal is to represent you and what you want; an extension of that is that we value your opinions and want to hear them. We appreciate any and all input!

With thanks,

--The MLEA Exec Board--

Diversity Workshop Available

MLEA Members,

The Spokane Education Association and WEA-Eastern Washington are co-sponsoring a workshop on "cross cultural competency facilitation" next week at the WEA offices on Montgomery Avenue in Spokane. The goal is to teach skills that will increase cultural awareness and diversity in our public schools and are applicable in many different arenas. The workshop runs on the following dates:
Thursday, February 21st: 5:00 to 8:00
Friday, February 22nd: 8:00 to 3:00
Saturday, February 23rd: 9:00 to 12:00

Clock hours are available, and the Council office will pay the Friday sub costs of anyone interested in attending.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, YOU NEED TO ACT FAST; the RSVP deadline is this Friday, February 15th. To sign up please call the WEA-Eastern office at 326-4046, or send an email to Ryan Grant and he'll take care of it for you.

Thank you!

--The MLEA Exec Board--

Let Your Voice Be Heard in Olympia

We're reaching a critical time in this legislative session. There's a big revenue forecast coming out on Friday, and the Senate is set to release their education budget next week. One of our major goals for this session was to restore the COLA that was cuta few years back, and you can help that happen.

I can tell you honestly that the emails you send to the legislature make a difference; in the meetings that I had in Olympia earlier this week several of the politicians we sat down with talked about how getting that feedback from teachers made an impact. Dan Brown, president of WEA-Eastern, gives some of the basics on cyber lobbying here, and you can follow this link to go to a great, intuitive website that the WEA has set up that makes emailing your elected representatives a breeze. If you don't know your Senator or Representative, don't sweat it--put in your address and the site will figure it out for you.

One important thing: DO NOT SEND POLITICAL EMAILS FROM YOUR SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS OR DURING SCHOOL HOURS. This runs afoul of all sorts of campiagn finance law, and it gets noticed. Also, if you read the message from Dan above, cc the email to him and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a small cash prize. That said, the satisfaction of being a part of the process is priceless, so you come out ahead no matter what happens.

Thanks!

Lobbying in Olympia

Hello MLEA friends, Ryan the VP here.

One of the things that I've been able to do this year as a part of my duties with WEA-Eastern is to go to Olympia and spend a couple of days lobbying as part of the WEA Legislative Action Team. It's been a great time, meeting with people that I've seen on the ballot, and it's a neat look at the process that goes into passing the laws that effect us in the classroom. Some pictures from our trips that I wanted to share:


From left to right you're looking at:

• Dan Brown, our WEA-Eastern council president. He's a school psychologist from Deer Park getting ready to retire at the end of the year.
  
• Maureen Ramos, president of the Spokane EA.
  
• Rebecca, a staffer with the Spokane EA.
  
• Debbie Rose, a 5th grade teacher from Mead, who is our current WEA-PAC chair and coordinates all of the political activities for our council.
  
• Me, and
  
• Bev Shaefer, council vice president, from the East Valley School district.

One more: me at the capital building.