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Ben Small has made us an offer to “buy back” the lost LID day that the state is no longer funding. You are all aware that our contract has gone from 182 days down to 181 days. He has stated on many occasions that his goal is to maintain teaching positions and preserve our salaries. The proposal is simple enough. If we are willing to temporarily suspend the reimbursement for supplies and tuition for next year, the money set aside to fund the program would be transferred into salaries and the LID day in October would be reinstated. Any unclaimed reimbursement money from this year will be carried over in your account as expected. This reclaimed LID day would be paid as a supplemental contract much like the orientation day is in September.
There are advantages and disadvantages to doing this. Reimbursement money is not money that goes into your pocket, you must purchase something first before you are reimbursed. The net change to your worth is zero. The supplemental salary will be paid directly to you but it will be taxed as is all things in your paycheck. Depending on where you are on the salary schedule, and what your plans might be, voting for one choice might be better than the other.
Please take these next few days to discuss with your colleagues all the pros and cons of this proposal. We will vote in the buildings soon and as always, the membership will decide which direction we will go.
Is there ever a good time to retire? The market is up, the market is down and this cycle is never ending. Regardless of the current situation, the decision to retire is a complicated one. It is important that you consult with others and ask many questions. Continue to talk to your investment counselor but don’t forget the state and local support available. The Washington State Department of Retirement Systems is ready to answer all of your questions. Call toll free 1-800-547-6657 to speak with a representative. Alina Holmquist at the district office can also help you through the process and will be glad to assist you. You can reach her at 228-5462.
If you are retiring, don’t forget about the retirement dinner and our Remarkable Reusables program. The dinner will be held Wednesday, June 3, at 5:30 in the Avenues event center located at 9320 E. Mission. You and your guest are cordially invited to attend this dinner in your honor.
If you have any books and or materials that you would like to donate you can participate in the Remarkable Reusable program. Simply box up everything you would like to donate and label it. Contact your building principal and he or she will make arrangements for the district to pick everything up. In August these materials will be made available to all the new teachers in the district.
As a teacher in the Central Valley School District you have access to professional support services that are designed to help you and your household members cope with a variety of personal and career-related concerns. APS Healthcare will provide professional, confidential counseling with no-out-of pocket cost. The decision to use your EAP benefit is voluntary and confidential. To schedule an appointment simply call 1-800-999-1067. There is also a 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-833-3031.
If you would like additional information about EAP you can contact Sue Brown in Human Resources. Her number is 228-5444. Feel free to contact the CVEA office as well.
From the sometimes you just have to laugh department: On May 12th, I sent out an email explaining the loss of our LID day and alerted everyone to the notice that was coming from our personnel office. The next day, on the advice of WEA I sent out a second email informing all staff members who might receive a legitimate RIF notice to contact this office at once. I also reminded everyone of the notice that the contract would change from 182 to 181 days was not a RIF notice and went on to say “Please don’t call me” if this is the only notice you get. I ended with, “I am hoping that no one calls.”
Within hours, the second email surfaced in Mead’s HR department and was quickly distributed to administrators. Apparently they found great humor in my remarks because they did not see the first email. Taken alone, the second email did sound somewhat cold and uncaring. I still hope that no one calls because I don’t want to see any more reductions to staff. I apologize if my second email riled anyone’s feathers.
How much does that plate hold? It must have been a big summer for administrative workshops and trainings. It was the year of Jane Schaefer, new reading assessments, Grr phase 1, snow, math adoptions, CBA’s, book studies, CBPA’s, more snow, Grr phase 2, RR upheaval, district led collaboration, principal led collaboration, staff led collaboration, budget cuts, calendar roulette and more budget cuts.
There could be a silver lining in all of these cuts. We just might see a reduction in a lot of these “extra” duties and an increase in time spent with our students. Enjoy your summer and be prepared for another year, as we will have to work through more challenges. The economy will improve but it won’t happen quick enough for me.
Thanks for all of your support as I stumble to the end of my freshman year. I appreciate all of your advice and guidance and remain humbled by your dedication to our students.
14 years ago Jeff Brown became the first retired teacher to serve as president of the CVEA. At the time, the president was a half time release paid position. It was a very good deal for the CVEA in that we paid Jeff half of his salary and got back from him nearly a full time commitment. 6 years later we were fortunate to have Kent Richardson follow as another retired president. Kent knew that this was a legitimate full time job and set in motion a plan to move us in that direction. With a supportive executive board he set about to put our financial house in order. Without raising our local dues we were able to pay off the office mortgage and build a sizeable contingency fund.
Kent applied for and was awarded a grant through the NEA to help fund small locals as they moved toward a full time release president. This grant has provided $78,499 dollars over the last three years. The CVEA will now move into the next phase, which will be supporting a full time release president through local dues. At .53 of one percent of the base salary, our dues remain some of the lowest in the state and we are committed to keeping them there. We have been fortunate to see small increases in enrollment as well as regular COLAs from the state these last few years. With our enrollment flattening out and no COLA in sight we will be looking for ways to save a few dollars. Today the CVEA is in sound financial condition and should remain so into the future.