CVEA Newsletter

WEA ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT

Delegates at the 2007 Washington Education Association Representative Assembly elected Mercer Island teacher Mary Lindquist to a two year team as president of the organization. Lindquist currently serves as the president of the Mercer Island Education Association and the WEA Sammamish Council. Lindquist replaces current president Charles Hasse who has served six years and was barred by term limits from reelection.

Delegates also chose Mike Ragan, Kennewick High School physics teacher as WEA Vice President. Ragan currently serves as president of the WEA-Southeast Council in the Tri-Cities. He replaces WEA Vice President Dave Scott.

Delegates approved motions in support of modifying the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as the No Child Left Behind Act) and making substantial improvements in educator pensions. At a lunchtime rally, WEA members urged the state Legislature to increase funding for public schools, including smaller class sizes and educator salaries, health benefits and pensions.

At the Assembly, held March 29-31 at the Tacoma Convention Center, delegates approved an open letter to the Superintendent of Public Instruction that urges her to stop using the WASL to make “high stakes decisions such as grade retention and graduation.” The letter calls the WASL based student assessment system unfair, misleading, inaccurate and harmful to students. Washington’s school employees are being asked to sign this open letter which will be presented to Superintendent Bergeson on National Teacher Day, May 8. Your CVEA building rep will post copies of the letter on your CVEA bulletin board at your work site. Please thank your CVEA delegates who gave up the first weekend of spring break to attend the assembly.

Your delegates were:

HOW MANY PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS DO YOU HAVE?

Our contract now provides for three personal leave days each year and the right to bank up to a maximum of five days. Those with more than two days currently banked will need to use those days down to no more than two days to avoid losing them (the excess over two for next year. Unused days from the current year can also be cashed in for sub pay ($90). If you have days to use please remember that the use of these days on either end of Memorial Day weekend is limited and they cannot be used the last week of school. Be sure to plan ahead. Your building rep has a list of those certs who have more than two days. If you have questions please call or email the office.

$250 FOR YOU

Time is running out. Please remember to save your receipts for purchases of classroom supplies, tuition and clock hours fees, professional dues and professional publications related to your teaching assignment. These receipts must be turned in by June 1 to receive $250 in reimbursement. The check will be issued at the end of July. Many of you have been spending money out of your pocket for years. Please don’t pass up this opportunity for reimbursement.

RETIRING THIS YEAR?

If you have made the decision to retire or to leave the district at the end of the year please consider notifying the personnel department as soon as possible. It would be a great help to the district and to your colleagues in making staffing plans for next year. If you have given the district notice prior to May 11 you will be invited to the dinner held to honor retirees. That dinner will be held on Wednesday May 23 at the Mirabeau Park Hotel at 5:30 PM. Retirees are allowed to invite a guest and will be honored for their service to children and public education by the District and the Association. Remember, to be invited the District and the Association must be notified that you plan to retire. Thank you.

The Central Valley Education Association and the Central Valley School District are jointly sponsoring a program this year to help retiring teachers dispose of unwanted teaching materials accumulated during their career and to provide help and resources to new teachers starting out their careers in the district next year. Teachers who have made the decision to retire at the end of the school year will be asked to box up unwanted materials that they have accumulated over the years. Please label the boxes as to contents and grade level and clearly mark

“REMARKABLE REUSABLES”. Be sure to include only the items and materials not considered District property. Leave the boxes in your room at the end of the school year and notify the CVEA that you are participating in the program. The District will then pick up the materials and store them at the District offices over the summer. In mid August the CVEA Executive Board will organize and display the materials as much as possible. At the conclusion of the new teacher orientation program held each year at the end of August the new employees will be allowed to rummage through the materials and take what they think may be of some help to them. A list of guidelines and instructions will be sent to everyone who notifies the District of their intent to retire. I am sure many of you remember scrambling for ideas and materials when you began your teaching career. This is a great opportunity for retirees to not have to carry this stuff home, clutter up the basement or garage and provide a valuable service to the new teachers beginning their careers. Thank you for your participation. If you have questions please call or email the CVEA office (929-0201 or cvea@aol.com).

CVEA DONATION

At our March Rep Council meeting CVEA Building Reps approved a motion to donate $100 to the fund to help finance the Spokane School District Elementary School Spring Band Concert that was cancelled due to the District’s budget cuts.

USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

The Central Valley Education Association has two used iMac computers for sale. If you are interested in purchasing either or both please send a sealed bid to the CVEA office by May 1. Please indicate on the outside of the envelope that enclosed is a sealed bid for the used computer(s). If you have questions or would like to see the computers please call or email the office. Thanks.

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