Professional Development

A new tab has been added for Professional Development opportunities.  Check it out when you have a chance.

How Lives Changed in Wisconsin

In 2011, the lives of Wisconsin teachers changed overnight. Wisconsin is not alone. Attacks on collective bargaining rights have taken place in Indiana and Ohio, too, as have attacks on tenure, retirement and other important issues. In Wisconsin, contracts were replaced with highly restrictive policy handbooks. You can make sure it doesn't happen here by being politically active, building community relations and developing a plan. We can learn from Wisconsin. This is a short but important video.  It is worth four minutes of your time to watch it.

Voices of Wisconsin EAC on Vimeo.

2012-2013 NESPA Teaching Scholarship

The 2012-2013 NESPA teaching certification scholarship is now on our blog and ready for our members to apply!   Click on the tab at the top of this page named NESPA Teaching Certification Scholarship for more information and an application.

Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day is more than just a day off in September.  Do you know why we celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. (From US Department of Labor).

US labor unions are responsible for many benefits that we may take for granted today.  Some of these benefits include:

• the 40 hour work week
• weekends
• unemployment insurance
• health benefits
• pension benefits
• grievance procedures
• minimum wage
• equal pay for equal work
• workers' comp

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker. (US Department of Labor).

Welcome Back!

Dear NESPA Member,

Welcome back---soon!    We hope you had a great summer, and are excited about the work ahead with our teachers and students!    You might want to save this info—or put it on your personal calendar.  

·         The first 2 non-student days are here:  Wednesday and Thursday, Aug 29 and 30.   The first student (school) day---and the first regular scheduled work day for Paraeducators, School Assts and Tech Specs, OT/PT Assts, Interpreters, Campus Supervisors, and the School Service Spec--- is the day after Labor Day: Tuesday, Sept. 4.     (Friday, Aug 31 is a non-work, non-paid day---a long Labor Day weekend day.)

·         Most NESPA members in the job titles listed above (those who work 180 days  + 11 paid holidays) will work on the two non-student days (Wed, Aug 29 and Thurs, Aug 30) using 15 of their Professional Hours for this purpose.  This is optional.    If the Principal decided not to schedule you for 7.5 of the 15 hours (on these 2 non-student days before school starts), then you can add 7.5 hours to your remaining 40 hours to use during the school year.  See the contract language below my signature if you want more info on that.   (RNs, Truancy and Mental Health Specs,and our Comm Schools Proj Coordinator are covered under Article 11.21, which is also below my signature.)

·         Nurses and others have probably already begun (using some of last year’s work days and/or Professional Hours)!   See below for the work year calendar for your job title.

·        Go to NESPA Work Calendars Tab for the work calendars for ALL NESPA members:

o   Para-Educators, School Assistants, School Tech Specialists, OT, PT, Interpreter, Campus Supervisor, School Service Specialist: AE 191

o   Truancy Specialist, Mental Health Specialist, Community Schools Project Coordinator:  AE 205/210

o   Registered Nurses:  AE 196

·        Go to Your 2012-2013 Accountable Days Tab school year for this year's                   Non-student Accountable Days.

o   Come to a 10 minute Association meeting at your school, which may be held on one of the 2 non-student days before school---or during the first week of school.  Find out what’s going on!   These meetings are being led by an NSEA (teacher) Building Rep, but will have important info for YOU!

o   Check out NESPA’s cool re-formatted INFORMATIVE web site:  www.nespablog.blogspot.com    Thank you to Nancy Celms for making this user friendly!!   By using tabs at the top of our webpage, you can find information more easily. For example, you can click on your Collective Bargaining Agreement, and do a word search to find ANYTHING!!

See you soon!   We are excited about the coming school year!  Peggy Sturm and Pat Waldrop are continuing as NESPA Co-Presidents (thank you!) and have great plans!

Good News from Election Night

The Primary Election is now over.  Results are still coming in, but it looks like good news in both the Jay Inslee race for Governor and the Rosemary McAuliffe race for State Senate.  Check the Secretary of State's website for detailed election results.

Despite this good news, there is still a lot of work to do.  The General Election is Tuesday, November 6th, and we need to make sure pro-public ed candidates are successful in Washington state.  Stay tuned--we'll have plenty of opportuinities for you to get involved. 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to make phone calls and doorbell for Jay, Rosemary, and other pro-public ed candidates.  You made a difference!  Now, let's keep it up.

Politics 2012

Let’s keep public education’s best supporter in the State Senate. Help Senator Rosemary McAuliffe defeat Dawn McCravey.

Thanks to Rosemary’s leadership in the Senate:

· In Washington state, public funds are not used to close neighborhood schools and replace them with private charter schools.

· Educators are not evaluated based on student test scores—which would narrow the curriculum and damage our students.

· Educators who perform their jobs well still have job security.

· We still have collective bargaining—a voice—in our health care benefits.

Rosemary’s opponents are much better funded. Dawn McCravey is likely to get financial backing from the Koch Brothers (oil billionaires), Stand for Children (funded by Wall Street millionaires), and the League of Education Voters (funded by a Seattle billionaire). Her other opponent, Guy Palumbo, is a former Amazon exec who has raised nearly three times as much as Rosemary from wealthy high tech contributors like Jeff Bezos.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP KEEP ROSEMARY IN THE SENATE, ADVOCATING FOR SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS:

1. Please sign up to call sympathetic voters with a script, in July.

2. Please join us for a morning of doorbelling voters on Saturday, July 28. We’ll have breakfast together, get instructions, pair up, and head out. You can bring family and friends. It’s actually fun!

3. Donate anything you can spare to Rosemary.

THANK YOU for all you do! Below my signature is information about Rosemary’s opponents.

Kraig Peck

Staffperson for NESPA and NSEA

kpeck@washingtonea.org

***************************************

Dawn McCravey (on Northshore School Board) is running as a Republican to unseat Rosemary.

1. Dawn advocates for the diversion of public tax dollars from public neighborhood schools to charter schools, run by private organizations. It would eventually result in district budget cuts and school closures.

2. Dawn supports paying teachers based on student scores.

3. Dawn lobbied in Olympia to eliminate educator job security—having principals numerically rank us and decide who to lay off, and even eliminating our right to get re-assigned if student enrollment or course offerings required our moving to a new location. (Instead, we would have been terminated under the bill she lobbied for.)

4. Dawn does not support collective bargaining.

As you recall, Dawn defeated BZ Davis in the School Board election last November. (Dawn was not willing to share her views directly. She has refused to reply to a candidate questionnaire, and refused to meet with educators for an interview about her views—in both the School Board and Senate races.)

Guy Palumbo is also running against Rosemary.

He started running as an “independent”, and switched to “Democrat.”

1. He supports using public school funds for private schools (charters).

2. He favors using student test scores to evaluate teachers.

The Primary election is July 15 to August 7. The top two vote getters will compete in the Fall election. Rosemary needs your help NOW to get to the Fall election. Click here to help: www.weacascade.org.