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Prior to 1995 for some years the president position was a .5 job. That meant that the president was released from his/her teaching position for half the day to do the association’s work. The president still received a full time check from the district and the association reimbursed the district for one half of that salary. When former president Jeff Brown reached retirement age in 1995 no one was interested in running for the job and while Jeff was ready to retire from teaching he wanted to continue as CVEA president. Long story short the association ended the released time arrangement with the district. Jeff retired and the association continued to pay him at .5 his position on the salary schedule. After serving in that capacity for six years Jeff was ready to step down as president. In one of his last acts as president Jeff proposed that the president’s salary be increased to .6 and it was approved. When I was elected president in January of 2001 I also retired from teaching after 31 years.
Having a retired president has an upside and a downside. The up is that the members get a president that is available full time and only have to pony up .6 salary. The downside is that the job has grown over the last decade with the following results. It is more than a .6 job and more importantly, I don’t believe a president could teach part time anymore and do justice to his/her students or the members of the association.
Given that, we have put ourselves in a position of narrowing our choices for president to someone who is retired or ready to retire. As you have seen from a recent newsletter article most associations our size have full time released presidents. I believe we need to move in that direction. The increase in the salary to .8 is the first step in that direction and can be accomplished with no increase in dues because of the retirement of the mortgage on the office next summer (see last month’s newsletter for details on the mortgage).
Suggesting that members pay for a full time president or even an .8 one because other districts our size do is not a good enough reason. Members have the right to ask, what am I getting for my dues dollars? How much does the president actually work? There is a good way to partially answer those questions. The law requires that local presidents log their time each year and turn in that information to the WEA. That information for the past four years is public and available for members to see if interested. The president job has required more than the .6 (in hours spent) in every year since 2001. Many of those hours are late afternoon and evening as well (just like you). Another good source of information is other Executive Board officers, bargaining team members and Building Reps. Ask them what they think about the president’s job
As I mentioned earlier, this move to .8 is the first step in a plan by the Executive Board to move to a full time release president. What is the rest of the plan? Now it gets a little more complicated. Each year the National Education Association gives out grants to help locals move to full time released presidents. With the blessing of the Executive Board I have spent considerable time this fall preparing an application for one of these grants. Only six grants are awarded nationally each year so the odds are slim. However, if we were successful the grant would award a total of nearly $80,000 to the CVEA over the next three years to help pay for a full time released president. Applicants must show how they intend to fund a full time president after the three years. The application is due in December and the announcement of the winners will be made in April.
If we receive the grant we will be able to save enough money to help pay for a full time president for a year or two after the grant ends but eventually the final step in the long term plan may require a modest increase in local dues to fund a full time president. What is modest you say? Projections are somewhere in the area of $1.00 to $1.50 per month per member. I believe it could be less if enrollment in the district continues to grow at its current pace.
I think all of this requires me to let the membership know my plans for the future. As you know the term of office for the officers is one year. If elected I plan to serve for two more years after this one. Barring some calamity I plan to retire after the 2007-08 school year.
In conclusion, members deserve a president who will serve them in a positive and professional manner and will move the association forward protecting members’ rights and enhancing teachers professional standing in the community as well. We will be better served if all members have the opportunity to serve in this position and this cannot be practically accomplished until we have a full time released president.
I welcome questions or comments. (926-0201 or cvea@aol.com)
Thank you,
Kent Richardson
The following WEA governance positions are open for nominations:
If you’re interested in being nominated for any of these positions, please contact Dan Brown at 326-4046. The deadline is December 16, 2005.
The Central Valley Education Association is allowed 12 seats at the Washington Education Association Representative Assembly. The RA will be held in Tacoma on March 23-25. If you are interested in representing the CVEA please notify the Association in writing (letter, fax, email) by January 4. If you have any questions, please call the office, 926-0201. Take a chance, this is a great opportunity to get involved, meet some new friends and learn more about the WEA.
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.
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.
It will soon be time for the next levy and bond campaign in the Central Valley School District. The cost of conducting an election is about $40,000 and it cannot come from school district revenue. Of course that means it must be raised from community donations. Your help is needed. Your building reps will be passing out authorizations for payroll deductions for the Central Valley Citizens for Education Fund. Please consider signing up for this convenient way to help. If you have signed up for this previously you need not do so again.
I will be in the following building to meet members and answer questions. kr
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