C.V. Educator

January 2005

Newsletter Archive

ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS

In March the Central Valley Education Association will be holding elections for next year’s officers and for delegates to the Washington Education Association Representative Assembly in May as well as the National Education Association Representative Assembly in July. All six Association offices will be filled. The new term will begin the first week of July (after the NEA-RA) and last for one year. Any member of the Association is eligible to run for office. The President’s position pays .6 of that person’s salary on the salary schedule. Each of the other positions will be paid a stipend of $500 for the year.

The President’s primary responsibilities are to chair the Executive Board and Representative Council meetings, attend SEAT and UniServ meetings monthly, handle all grievances and lead the bargaining team. The other officers will be required to attend the above meetings, be on the bargaining team and other duties as required by the By Laws.

The Central Valley Education Association is allowed 12 seats at the Washington Education Representative Assembly. The RA will be held in Spokane on May 12-14. The CVEA will provide substitutes and cover all expenses for the assembly.

The National Education Association Representative Assembly will be held in Los Angeles the first week of July. CVEA will send the President and three elected delegates. The Association will cover all expenses for this rewarding experience. Please consider representing the CVEA for any of these positions.

If you are interested in running for an Association Office, WEA-RA delegate or NEA-RA delegate please send a letter of nomination to the Association office by mail, fax or e-mail by Friday, January 28. The letter should include the position(s) you are running for and some brief biographical information including years in the district, current assignment and any previous pertinent Association experience. All candidates will be listed in the February newsletter and the elections will be held the first week of March.

CVEA- 12202 E. Main, Spokane, WA 99206
Fax- 891-9183
e-mail- cvea@aol.com

MEET THE CANDIDATES

There will be a general membership meeting prior to the representative Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 15 to meet the candidates for Executive Board and to take nominations from the floor. The meeting will be held at Players and Spectators in the Dugout Room at 4:00PM at 12828 E. Sprague. All members are invited. Members are also welcome to stay for the Rep Council meeting which will follow.

BARGAINING TIME IS NEAR

Our current collective bargaining agreement expires on August 31, 2005. That means, of course, that we must bargain a new agreement between now and September 1. We have selected the bargaining team and will have our first meeting on January 27. Our Association By Laws require that the team be made up of the Association’s Executive Board (see lower right hand corner of this page) and six additional members chosen by the Rep Council. These six elected at the December Rep Council meeting are, Martha Reese, South Pines , Mary Ann Sullivan, Ponderosa, Julie Rosenoff, Progress, Keith Hoekema, Broadway and University Elementary, Karen Floyd, CVHS and Monica Orth, Evergreen.

The team will be meeting on a regular basis for the next several months. We will analyze our current contract and compare it with those from other comparable and area districts. We will distribute some of this information to our members and survey everyone to help determine our priorities for bargaining. We also plan to meet with members to discuss bargaining issues. We will be publishing a special Bargaining Newsletter to keep members up to date on the progress the team is making. The team has notified the district that we will be ready to begin bargaining after spring break.

Your participation in this process is vital to a successful bargain.

Please read the newsletters and discuss issues that concern you with your Building Reps, Bargaining Team members and your colleagues. Remember:

YOU DON’T GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU GET WHAT YOU NEGOTIATE!

WEA CHILDREN’S FUND

Do you know students whose families can’t afford to buy them a warm coat, a new pair of boots or some school supplies? The WEA Children’s Fund can help!

The goal of the WEA Children’s Fund is to meet the modest and immediate needs of students encountered by WEA members in their daily workplaces. The intent is to ensure that the physical, social and emotional needs of students do not stand in the way of success within the school setting.

Guidelines

WEA Children’s Fund will provide help for members who occasionally spend their own money to fund children’s needs.
Requests for shoes, clothes, mittens, hats, coats and immediate school supplies will be honored.
Larger or unusual requests will be reviewed by the WEA Children’s Fund Board and will be funded on the basis of available resources.
To access the Fund, call 800-622-3393 and ask for the Children’s Fund. A member request form will be completed over the telephone and the member will simply forward the receipt via mail (or fax to 253-946-7604) for reimbursement.
Donations to the fund are tax deductible and are gladly accepted. Please make checks payable to the WEA Children’s Fund, and mail to WEA Children’s Fund, P.O. Box 9100, Federal Way, WA 98063-9100.