The Voice- September 2009

The

Voice The Nebraska State Education Association ď ś September 2009

September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 1

On the Cover: Last spring, NSEA UniServ Director Marlene Wehrbein, at right, helped Louisville teacher and coach Crystal Dwerlkotte solve an issue that allowed Dwerlkotte to spend more time with son Madden.

For the story, see

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VOICE Nebraska State Education Association 605 S. 14th Street, Suite 200 Lincoln, NE 68508-2742 · www.nsea.org (402) 475-7611 · (800) 742-0047

Volume 63, No. 1 ISSN Number: 1085-0783 USPS Number: 000-369 Executive Director Assoc. Executive Director Communications Director Assistant Comm. Director

Craig R. Christiansen Neal Clayburn Karen Kilgarin Al Koontz

NSEA Board of Directors President Jess Wolf, Hartington Vice President Nancy Fulton, Wilber-Clatonia NEA Director Mark Shively, Omaha NEA Director Leann Widhalm, Norfolk

Official publication of the Nebraska State Education Association, Suite 200, 605 South 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-2742. Periodical postage paid at Lincoln, NE, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to NSEA Voice, Suite 200, 605 S. 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-2742.

Published 10 times yearly according to this schedule: September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May and August.

Payment of annual NSEA membership dues entitles Nebraska educators to receive The Voice. Total cost of producing 10 monthly issues of The Voice each year is about $4.84 per member.

Advertising rates of The Voice are available from the assistant communications director. All advertisements and advertisers are screened prior to publication.

Appearance of an advertisement in The Voice does not necessarily imply NSEA endorsement of either the product being advertised or the views being expressed.

Great Public Schools For Every Child Page 2 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

NEA Foundation Aids Omaha in Gap Effort Omaha Awarded Grant to Create Roadmap for Effort to Improve Student Performance The NEA Foundation, building on the success of its Closing the Achievement Gaps Initiative, has awarded an Omaha partnership a $50,000 planning grant.

The partnership, comprised of leaders from the Omaha Education Association (OEA), Omaha Public School District, and Omaha’s Bright Futures, will use the funds to develop a proposal to Jankovich demonstrate how they will work together to improve achievement rates for low income and minority students, while raising performance for all students.

Based on a review of its proposal, the Omaha plan will be eligible to receive a five-year Foundation grant of up to $1.25 million to implement its strategy.

“The strong working relationships we’ve developed with OPS and with Bright Futures were key to Omaha receiving this grant from the NEA Foundation. That relationship will be vital to ensuring our efforts are successful,” said Doreen Jankovich, president of the Omaha Education Association.

“The planning grant provides us with the financial resources necessary to develop a detailed, workable plan for closing the achievement gap for students,” she said.

The Omaha proposal will focus on ways in which the groups will work together to strengthen four areas of intervention in public education, including: n Local association and school district capacity to generate a shared understanding of the problem; frequent and ongoing communication; and an agreed-upon set of strategies to address the challenges. n System alignment and coherence to increase capacity at the district level to ensure school-level success. n Family and community partnerships designed to generate support for

OPS a Finalist with Gates Foundation The Omaha Public Schools is one of five districts nationwide that has reached the final phase of the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching grant application process.

The grants will be funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will invest $500 million over five years to improve teaching in urban school districts.

Omaha Education Association President Doreen Jankovich told the Omaha World-Herald that Omaha’s plan for the grant application will recognize teachers as front-line advocates for students, and “could really be a great springboard to transform education in Omaha.”

The grant application could mean tens of millions of dollars for OPS to use to attract, train and mentor teachers, and to enhance salaries. The district also hopes to tie performance to base salary increases. A teacher’s effectiveness, said Jankovich, would be not be measured by test results alone.

A final decision, along with an announcement by the Gates Foundation of how much money OPS is to receive, is expected in November. improvement efforts and to bring necessary resources for achieving the vision and outcomes. n Quality teaching designed to improve teaching and learning as a means of closing achievement gaps by improving the professional lives of teachers.

A Foundation grant program in Chattanooga, TN, has seen the achievement gap drop 13 percent in reading and 10.5 percent in math from 2004 to 2008.

The NEA Foundation is a nonprofit, public charity created in 1969 and sustained by contributions from educators, corporate sponsors and others.

From the President

Change Needs Your Help

NSEA President Jess Wolf ‘We cannot wait another 15 years or more for the opportunity of progressive change. And we cannot allow change to occur without our input.’

A year ago the key word on everyone’s mind (and television set) was ‘change.’ Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama had made the word central to his campaign, and other candidates followed suit. Obama won the election, and now, 10 months after the election, some citizens seem surprised or they object to the changes that have happened, are happening, or are being considered.

Of course, we won’t all agree whether the change is right or wrong; disagreement and discourse is central to our democracy.

In our histories as educators, we can all recall changes in education and can cite several that made a true difference, and others which weren’t so hot. In our heart of hearts, we know that stagnation isn’t good for our profession, and probably isn’t good for most aspects in society. Change, in most cases, moves us forward.

A Sweet Smell A year ago, the economy could easily have been compared to a road-killed skunk. During the months that followed, the aroma worsened. The Docket of Change included the stimulus package, which has pushed the economy to shown signs of recovery, though worry about long-term national debt continue to be of concern (Note: national debt was apparently not a problem during the previous administration, either, as the federal debt load doubled during those eight years).

So while the skunk aroma hasn’t been completely eradicated, the passage of time has dampened the smell somewhat.

The stimulus dollars that have coerced the economy forward smelled pretty sweet to Nebraska educators last spring when — thanks to Sen. Ben Nel-

son’s support — the Legislature and the governor were able to put $234 million into the state aid formula. It appeared there were finally dollars to raise our state’s dismal 45th place ranking average teacher’s salaries. Thanks to the yeoman-like work of negotiators across the state, we may see an improvement in that standing. The going hasn’t been easy for negotiators, however, as some local school districts continue to withhold the stimulus funds from their intended purposes (job retention, salary enhancements and local economy improvements).

Education in 2010 The current issue on the Docket for Change is health care reform. Polls indicate that most Americans see a need for changing the system. But some fears persist, and radicals seem to be able to play on those fears. NEA continues to fight for these issues: guaranteeing health care coverage for all Americans, especially those attending school; control of health care costs; and no tax on health care benefits. A public health care plan is being promoted as a key component in helping to achieve these goals. It will be a battle, but a battle that must be fought. To do nothing is completely unacceptable.

More change is in the wind, with education issues on President Obama’s agenda for 2010.

Your involvement in all this is huge.

We, as educators, simply cannot allow any of these issues to pass without our participation. We cannot wait another 15 years or more for the opportunity of progressive change. And we cannot allow change to occur without our input.

Please be ready to assist when called upon.

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Debate and discussion: In line to speak at a regular morning caucus by NSEA members during the NEA Representative Assembly were, from right, Jenni Absalon, Lincoln Education Association president; Deb Gnuse, Grand Island Education Association president; Doreen Jankovich, Omaha Education Association president; and Rich Wergin, Seward.

An Open Line

Duncan Hears From Members on Reform, Welcomes Dialogue More than 7,000 NEA members, including about 100 Nebraskans, talked about education reform with newlyminted Education Secretary Arne Duncan in San Diego in early July.

Duncan gave NEA members good news. He said educators must be at the table for any discussions about transforming America’s public schools.

Duncan addressed the NEA members as part of a town hall exchange during NEA’s annual Representative Assembly in San Diego. He also listened and heard educators’ views on how to best ensure that every student has access to a quality public education.

“I know we won’t all agree on everything, but I’m confident there will be more we agree with than not,” Duncan said. “It starts with our shared values.

We believe it is our moral obligation to give children the very best education possible. We believe every child can learn and every school can succeed. We believe teaching is a profession, and good teachers and principals are essen-

Hot seat: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (in white shirt) fields a question from NEA members on the stage at the annual NEA Representative Assembly in San Diego in July.

tial to success.”

Duncan said schools must be the hub of communities; the federal government must increase the number of nationally-certified teachers; and “a union of educators is a positive force that can drive the kind of change that many of our schools need.”

Real-World Implications The Representative Assembly is the highest decision-making body within the more than 3.2 million-member NEA, and with nearly 10,000 delegates, it is also the world’s largest democratic deliberative body. The meeting marked

the Association’s 147th annual gathering, and 88th Representative Assembly.

NSEA President Jess Wolf led Nebraska’s contingent of just over 100 delegates. A highlight was the awarding of the Leo Reano Memorial Award to NSEA member Vida Sue Stabler (see related story).

“We had a great meeting, and our NSEA members represented us quite well,” said Wolf.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel noted that he visited schools in New York and Connecticut. There he saw what change is possible when there is a strong collaborative relationship September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 5

between the teachers’ association, the school district and community partners.

“The best way to achieve results is for local unions and other partners to collaborate locally, while thinking globally about what students need to succeed,” Van Roekel said. “I believe that most teachers do an outstanding job, but that shouldn’t stop us from working together to find out what works best.”

During Duncan’s Q&A, many NEA members noted how educators are on the front lines dealing with the realworld implications of education policy, and know better than anyone what works best in the classroom.

“We need to have educators at the table, helping all teachers become as good as they can be,” said Van Roekel.

“Secretary Duncan should be applauded for seeking the input of NEA members.

Educators know what their students and schools need, and we look forward to working with him.”

Action Items Delegates also approved several New Business Items, including these that called for: n NEA to develop and implement an action plan in collaboration with targeted state and local affiliates, to inform and influence President Obama’s proposal to turn around 5,000 schools with $5 billion in five years. n NEA to urge Congress and the Obama Administration to enact new federal educational policy with a new name. The NEA will support a plan that moves beyond a “one-size-fits-all” model of accountability, and provides support to schools serving our most atrisk students. n NEA to develop an online tool kit which will outline procedures, strategies, materials and resources to support the creation of middle and high school teacher recruitment programs that encourage students to think seriously about a career in teaching. n NEA, through its programs, publications and affiliates, to promote and publicize the impact of achievement gaps on state and national economies. n NEA, through existing communications vehicles, to work to end the serious and growing problem of sexting in schools. The NEA will help local affiliates inform and implement strategies to educate all stakeholders about the irrevocable damage sexting causes to all involved, especially the subject(s) of the sexting.

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National recognition: Vida Sue Stabler, center, was one of several educators and others from across the country honored at NEA’s annual Human and Civil Rights Awards dinner in San Diego in July.

NEA Salutes Stabler for Cultural Works

Vida Sue Stabler, the Title VII Indian Education Program director at the Umonhon Nation Public School, has received a National Education Association Human and Civil Rights Award. She was recognized for her work to save and revitalize the culture and language of the Umonhon (Omaha) tribe.

Stabler received the NEA Leo Reano Memorial Award at NEA’s 43rd annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner held in San Diego on July 3.

“Preserving the culture and language of First Americans is an outstanding gift to the nation,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.

“It is very difficult to understand another culture unless you understand the subtle nuances and deep meanings of its language. Once the language is lost, part of the culture is lost and can never be recovered.”

Stabler believes that nothing is more important to the Umonhon children’s success in the wider world than to learn their own culture and language.

Everything she does as a teacher is grounded in her community.

The learning begins with the classroom, which the Umonhon call huthuga, or tribal circle. Stabler teams

with tribal elders who help teach students in grades K–12 the words and ways of their people.

When not teaching, Stabler works with University of Nebraska Language Professor Mark Awakuni-Swetland to document the Umonhon language, and develop specific curriculum materials for teaching the Umonhon language and culture. To date, the duo has completed revisions of an expanded Umonhon dictionary, and completed a cookbook of traditional Umo “ho” recipes written entirely in the Umonhon language.

Stabler consistently encourages “active listeners,” mostly middle-age people who grew up with parents who spoke Umonhon and understand the language, to come forward and learn how to speak the language.

The NEA Leo Reano Memorial Award honors Reano, a teacher, artist and interpreter. A member of the Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo, he served on the All Indian Pueblo Council and the NEA Council on Human Relations. He dedicated his life to securing educational opportunities for American Indian/Alaska Native children.

To see NEA’s video on Stabler, search for ‘Vida Sue Stabler’ at: www.youtube.com

EHA to Offer Wellness Plan The Educators Health Alliance Board of Directors, which manages the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska health care plan used by nearly every Nebraska school district, has announced creation of a wellness program. Now, the board is seeking groups to volunteer to pilot the wellness plan.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) and the Wellness Council of the Midlands (WELCOM) have been selected to implement and administer the pilot program.

While it is the intent of the EHA Board to eventually expand eligibility for the wellness program to all EHA subgroups in all participating school districts, the wellness program will start slowly, said NSEA Executive Director Craig R. Christiansen, who chairs the EHA Board of Directors.

“In order to have an orderly implementation, the rollout will be limited initially to about 2,500 eligible employees in the pilot subgroups,” he said. “It’s anticipated that experiences in the pilot program will provide for plan improvements as it is later made available to additional subgroups.”

The pilot program will begin on or about Jan. 1, 2010.

The pilot will be comprehensive, with several of the components provided without additional cost by BCBSNE. For the program components requiring additional cost, the EHA will pay 50 percent of the expenses and the participating subgroups will pay the remaining 50 percent.

Key components of the wellness program are as follows: n Health risk assessment. n Consultative services and targeted promotion plans. n Engaging Consumers @ Work toolkit. n A comprehensive Web site. n Health promotion programs. n A medical self-care guide. n Pedometers. n A participant incentive program for wellness component participation. n Participant health and wellness behavior modification programs.

The pilot program will include a

diverse crosssection of EHA subgroups, representing size, geography and employment category.

Within each of the categories, selection into the pilot program will be made on a first come basis.

EHA subgroups interested in par-

ticipating in the Wellness Pilot Program may obtain an application form from the EHA Web site at: EHAplan.org Completed applications are to be returned to Kent Trelford-Thompson, BCBSNE and EHA account executive. He may be contacted with questions at: kent.trelford-thompson@bcbsne. com

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Gold Star Settlements More than 40 percent of contract settlements reported to NSEA through mid-August included increases in base salaries of $1,000 or more.

Below, in no particular order, is a sampling. For a complete list, go to the NSEA home page at: www.nsea.org West Point Base increase: $2,500 or 9.09% New base: $30,000* *Base will remain at $30,000 for 2010-11, as well.

McCool Junction Base increase: $1,300 or 4.76% New base: $28,600 Cross County Base increase: $1,200 or 4.36% New base: $28,700 Lincoln Base increase: $1,100 or 3.15% New base: $36,008 Lyons-Decatur Base increase: $1,475 or 5.42% New base: $28,675 Falls City Base increase: $1,500 or 5.31% New base:$29,750 Giltner (Two-tear Agreement) 09-10 increase: $2,000, 7.69% New base: $28,000 10-11 increase: $1,500, 5.36% New base: $29,500 Howells Base increase: $1,500 or 5.08% New base: $31,000 Arapahoe Base increase: $1,200 or 4.4% New base: $28,450 Walthill Base increase: $1,272 or 4% New base: $33,070 Wilber-Clatonia Base increase: $1,225 or 4.11% New base: $31,025 Louisville Base increase: $1,140 or 3.90% New base: $30,380 Auburn Base increase: $1,156 or 4% New base: $30,056

Salary Success Contracts Settled Since Legislature’s Adjournment Show Promising Results. Governor’s Letter, Stimulus Funding, Awareness are Factors.

In June, Gov. Dave Heineman wrote a letter to all NSEA members.

His message was simple: he asked teachers to work with their school districts to make sure that $234 million in additional state aid to education went “where we know it matters most — the classroom.”

H e i n e m a n ’s letter was a bold move, criticized in Heineman some corners, but praised by those who understand the link between quality teaching and competitive teacher pay.

First, quality teaching is of paramount importance to our children. Second, competitive teacher pay attracts and retains quality teachers in Nebraska’s classrooms.

Nearly three months after the letter, early numbers indicate that local association negotiators have had some success at moving Nebraska’s dismal average starting salary of $27,147 higher. Of the 93 school districts reporting by Aug. 21 to NSEA that they have settled contracts, 39 – nearly 42 percent – have reported settlements of $1,000 or more on base. Another half dozen have settled for between $900 and $1,000 on base.

The average settlement through mid-August increased the base by more than $870.

“To see this many settlements at that level is certainly pleasing,” said NSEA President Jess Wolf.

“While the federal stimulus dollars and the governor’s letter surely helped, we hope that school boards are realizing that their districts have to pay teachers a competitive salary – based not only on what the school district down the road pays, but on what school districts in Wyoming, and

Iowa and Missouri and Texas are paying.”

Historic Letter Heineman penned the letter, and NSEA mailed it to all members under a cover letter from Wolf, who called Heineman’s remarks “important and historic.

“Given the governor’s support, as well as the significant increase in state aid for the next two years, local associations should seek an increase of no less than $1,500 on base for the

2009-10 school year,” wrote Wolf.

The Lyons-Decatur Education Association realized a $1,475 increase on base.

McCool Junction bargained for $1,300.

Others did as well, or nearly as well (see list on this page).

The governor’s letter arrived as most September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 9

local associations and school districts were beginning serious contract talks.

It came shortly after the Nebraska Legislature approved a two-year state aid to education plan that funneled $234 million in federal education stimulus monies through the state aid formula and into school district coffers.

Before it was apparent that federal stimulus dollars would be available, state policymakers had proposed a much smaller $100 million increase in state aid for 2009-10 and 2010-11. The federal dollars, supported by Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, gave the state added budget flexibility when tax revenues were down, and helped preserve a healthy state emergency reserve fund.

Further, federal directives dictated that the stimulus dollars be used to prevent teacher layoffs; and to hire new teachers to reduce class size. The theory: federal stimulus dollars flowing through education salaries would be spent on every Main Street in America, stimulating the economy at the grassroots level.

‘Increasingly Concerned’ In his letter, Gov. Heineman said he

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‘It is absolutely essential that education budgets are focused on the classroom.’

— Gov. Dave Heineman supports local control, but has “grown increasingly concerned that the substantial increases in state aid have not been reflected in teacher pay.”

He noted that superintendent salaries seem to be increasing at a significant rate, while teacher salaries are not.

“That needs to change,” Heineman wrote. “It is absolutely essential to ensure that education budgets are focused on the classroom.”

And he took school districts to task for saying that there aren’t enough dollars to provide competitive salaries.

“I disagree,” Heineman wrote. “During the past four years that I have been governor, we have significantly increased state aid to education, and we need school districts to provide teachers with competitive salaries.”

Heineman’s letter drew some criti-

cism, notably from the Nebraska School Boards Association and from a couple of newspaper editorials. But NSEA members were quick to respond.

In a response to the North Platte Telegraph’s editorial that claimed Heineman to be “meddling,” North Platte Education Association President Michelle Moore defended the governor in a letter to the Telegraph.

“Public school funding is best spent where it does the most good: in the classroom,” wrote Moore. “The governor has shown true leadership on this issue – leadership that benefits all Nebraskans.”

Arnold teacher Margaret Ann Mills also wrote the Telegraph.

“Teachers typically do not expect to be in the upper tax bracket, but the profession should pay them enough to feed, clothe, and house a small family; enough that they could live above what is today considered poverty level,” Mills wrote.

With Heineman’s letter, the bargaining efforts of local negotiators, and slowly-changing attitudes, competitive teacher pay may become a reality in Nebraska.

Are You Saving with Access?

Your NSEA Membership Card Can Save You Cash Everyday!

This fall, you can buy more for less…with Access! Simply use your NSEA membership Access card to save with local or area merchants, and you’ll discover superb savings!

Your NSEA Access membership card entitles you to savings at hundreds of merchants across Nebraska and the country. Regular use of the card will save members far more than the cost of Association membership.

These new merchants have been added in the past two months: n Zales, where you’ll save 10 percent on all purchases. n ProGolf, where you save 15 percent on orders of $100 or more at

ProGolf.com. n FinishLine, a line of premium brands of authentic, sports-inspired products, offers $10 off a $60 purchase or $15 off a $90 purchase.

There are meal deals, hotel savings and entertainment offerings.

The more adventurous will love deals on concert, play and sports tickets at TicketsNow.com (save 5 percent), or daring experiences at Great American Days (save 5 percent).

The most popular merchants: Verizon; Office Depot; Domino’s Pizza; Famous Footwear; Subway; and Target.

To find the savings in your area, go to the NSEA Web home page and click on the Access Card icon in the upper right corner of the page. Enter your 10-digit NSEA identification number and get ready to save. The site is at: www.nsea.org

Direct Instruction Letter Sent NSEA Opposition to One-Size-Fits-All Plans Voiced to Policymakers NSEA President Jess Wolf has sent a letter to state policymakers voicing strong opposition to the growing use of one-size-fits-all direct reading instruction programs in Nebraska.

During NSEA’s Delegate Assembly on April 24–25, nearly 400 NSEA delegates, elected by their local associations, voted unanimously to oppose such reading programs. The New Business Item approved by delegates also asked Wolf to send a letter to Gov. Dave Heineman, Commissioner of Education Roger Breed, Nebraska state senators and members of the State Board of Education.

In the letter, Wolf noted that members from across the state were involved in the discussion, and that a number of them said that such direct, scripted instructional programs do not allow teachers to address individual student’s needs.

“NSEA members believe it is critical that students become independent readers in order to be successful in school and life,” wrote Wolf. “Reading instruction, with appropriate intervention, especially in the early grades, is essential for learning in all content areas and for achieving high standards.”

Teachers at all levels should be provided adequate resources, and should be encouraged to use their expertise to

address the diverse needs of students, said Wolf.

“Imposing a reading program mandating direct (scripted) instruction is counterproductive. It severely limits a teacher’s ability to address each individual student’s needs,” he said.

Such programs may claim to be research-based, but the testing of such

programs has been limited, and the programs tend to disregard socio-economic and geographically diverse populations. And a number of researchers and educators – both in the state of Nebraska and nationally – disagree with the validity of the direct instruction reading program’s results, said Wolf.

The letter was sent on May 4.

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A Day in the

Life

UniServ Directors Deliver Service to NSEA Members Daily. This Account Typifies an Average Day for One of NSEA’s 18 Field Reps.

It’s 7:15 a.m., and NSEA UniServ Director Marlene Wehrbein is parked in a shady spot on the south side of the Weeping Water Public Schools, making final notes for a 7:30 a.m. meeting.

Her day, this day – Monday, May 11, 2009 – is well under way. It’s going to be a long one.

Knowledge of teaching and learning and an ability to be flexible are traits that make a good UniServ director. Knowledge of school law, bargaining principles and State Department of Education rules are just as important.

Passion is also a prerequisite.

“The reason UniServ directors do their job, for the most part, is because they have a passion for making things better for teachers,” said Wehrbein.

“Sometimes I think we want it even more than the teachers themselves.”

NSEA has 16 UniServ directors – perhaps better described as field agents – on the road across the state nearly every day of the week. They work with What were NSEA’s 15 other UniServ directors doing on Monday, May 11? Here’s a sampling of what some of them experienced.

8–10 a.m., UniServ Director Ellen Yates, driving to a meeting with a superintendent, takes a call from a member who had been hit by a student the previous week. They reviewed the steps the member had taken upon Yates’ advice.

Yates advised the member that the local Page 12 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

NSEA members to resolve problems large and small, to answer questions, to serve as counselors and friends.

They provide the bulk of NSEA services, meeting with members one-on-one in their classrooms, in small groups or at large gatherings.

Most NSEA members may not know the full range of services UniServ directors provide. This is a snapshot of those services. Wehrbein lives near Plattsmouth and serves 29 southeast Nebraska school districts.

6:30 a.m., Home Office An e-mail check shows five overnight messages need responses. Two pose questions about negotiations, another is from a suspended teacher being investigated for the alleged assault of a student. Wehrbein will meet that teacher at noon. Another e-mail offers a “thank you” for a job lead, and a fifth is a membership question from an association president should attend a Wednesday meeting with the principal, and provided a strategy for the meeting.

The local president also called, and Yates made suggestions as to her role in the meeting.

The 9 a.m. meeting with the superintendent is to question why the school district docked the member’s pay for the time she took to get medical attention needed as the result of the student’s attack.

Bright and early: At a 7:30 a.m. meeting, Water Education Association negotiators Jef

education support professional.

7:30 a.m., Weeping Water Public Schools In social sciences teacher Jeff Kezeor’s classroom, Wehrbein updates Kezeor and fellow Weeping Water Education Association negotiator Mary Moser on state aid, health insurance, retirement and other bargaining issues. Contract talks at Weeping Water have not started because state aid – being discussed by the Nebraska Legislature that morning – has not been set. Wehrbein says that with federal stimulus dollars, the state aid increase will be among the largest in history. Increasing the base by $1,000 is NSEA’s goal. That is not out of line, she says. “The biggest hurdle we have is convincing teachers to ask for it.”

8:10 a.m.

Wehrbein stops at the office of High School Principal Gary Wockenfuss. He alerts Wehrbein that a teacher has been Meeting with the superintendent briefly, Yates points out that the medical appointment was necessary due to the student attack, and docking wages was not appropriate. She also asserts that the situation should not require the use of sick leave.

4–5 p.m., UniServ Director Tom Martin met with the Cross County Education Association negotiations team, and offered negotiations information to

might be willing to take a lesser coaching role, but she may be forced out of the district. She has an interview scheduled at Millard. “I like it here – it’s just so stressful in this situation,” says Dwerlkotte. Wehrbein says she’ll watch the situation closely.

9:36 a.m.

Leaving the parking lot, Wehrbein is hailed by high school Principal Cynthia Osterloh, who offers a quick update on a conflict between a student and teacher.

9:40 a.m.

On the road, Wehrbein calls the office. Associate Staffer Kathy Hutchinson says Wehrbein needs to provide documentation on the services to a member when she returns to the office.

, NSEA UniServ Director Marlene Wehrbein talks bargaining strategy with Weeping ff Kezeor and Mary Moser.

given a letter of reprimand for failure to adhere to district policy.

9 a.m. Louisville Public Schools After the drive to Louisville and a stop for a diet cola, Wehrbein checks in at the LHS office. Headed to the elementary wing for a 9:20 meeting, she stops to chat with two teachers. Wehrbein had helped one with a retirement decision, and wants to see whether he’s OK with that decision. He’s looking forward to retirement. The other was assaulted by a student earlier in the year. Wehrbein helped her address the issue, and worked with the principal on the matter.

The teacher wonders: will the student return in September?

9:14 a.m.

Wehrbein stops at the office of Elementary Principal Cory Holl who notes that he enjoys a good working relationhelp them with their bargaining. He offered suggested language for proposals the team hoped to make on issues identified by their membership. Martin also met with a teacher in the same building about retiring and/or taking disability, and met with another teacher about her personnel file and a parent complaint.

9-10 a.m., UniServ Director Ron Goldenstein spent an hour visiting with attorneys in an attempt to settle a teach-

ship with Wehrbein. The reason for her stop: first grade teacher and volleyball Coach Crystal Dwerlkotte would like to give up the volleyball assignment. Her husband’s new job has him traveling, and their two-year-old would barely see a parent during volleyball season.

Administration has been slow to grant Dwerlkotte’s request.

“You can’t create a situation where a teacher can’t do what you want parents in the district to do: be active in their child’s life,” says Wehrbein.

Bottom line, she says, is that Dwerlkotte may be asked to be let out of her contract. Holl says Dwerlkotte is a good teacher and he would hate to lose her.

9:20 a.m.

Wehrbein updates Dwerlkotte. Appreciative, Dwerlkotte notes that she informed the district of her request to be relieved of head coaching duties well before the deadline to do so. She er termination issue.

11a.m. to noon, UniServ Director Duane Obermier worked on salary comparability studies for the Wausa Education Association and the Ponca Education Association.

6:30-7:30 p.m., UniServ Director Bill Nowak, after a day on the road, had phone messages to return. The first came from a local association

9:56 a.m.

On the way to Lincoln, Wehrbein stops for gas at the Ashland exit on I-80.

“You have to plan for stops for gas at places where the gas is cheap.”

10:40 a.m., Fifth Floor, State Office Building, Lincoln The Commission of Industrial Relations is set to hear arguments on the state’s appeal of a ruling on the State Code Agency Teachers Association (SCATA) vs. the State of Nebraska. A Special Master gave the 72 SCATA members salary increases of 4.2 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively, over the next two years. Werhbein represents several SCATA members and had hoped to catch part of the 9:30 a.m. hearing. It went more quickly than anticipated. UniServ colleague Jerry Hoffman reports it went well.

11:15 a.m., NSEA Headquarters E-mails to answer, messages to return, and time to print out the documentation of services requested by Hutchinpresident who wanted to discuss a “Union Vote of No Confidence” regarding a school principal. An ag teacher called to discuss concerns about the installation of security cameras in the industrial arts area. Another teacher called to ask about her getting a release from her contract to accept a job with another district.

10 a.m. to noon, UniServ Director Midge Dublinske met for two hours September2009 2009nnThe TheNSEA NSEAVoice VoicennPage Page13 13 September

Teamwork: Wehrbein, left, with fellow Uniserv Director Gary Osborn, starts a meeting with local association negotiators from the Elkhorn area. Among the topics: state aid, health care premiums and stimulus dollars.

son. A meeting with Associate Executive Director Neal Clayburn about the services takes less than 10 minutes.

Noon, Lincoln Restaurant Wehrbein meets with the teacher who is on leave for the alleged assault of a student on Friday. He has typed his version of the incident for the county attorney. Wehrbein suggests minor edits and assures him that his colleagues are concerned about him. She offers tips for handling questions from students and staff when he returns. “Redirect students to classwork,” she says. “Appreciate the concern of colleagues, but you can’t talk about it. Talking about it keeps the story alive.”

1:10 p.m., NSEA Headquarters More e-mails to answer, then preparation for a meeting with UniServ Director Gary Osborn to finalize details of a 6:30 p.m. meeting in Elkhorn with Learning Community negotiators.

1:25 p.m.

The teacher Wehrbein met at noon stops by with an updated version of his incident report. She gives it an OK and has the member sign it. She’ll fax it to

with a community college member facing termination of his teaching contract. The meeting was followed by a conversation to update NSEA Director of Member Rights Trish Guinan, and two follow-up phone calls to schedule a meeting with the member and a college human resources officer.

9:30—10:30 a.m., UniServ Director Jerry Hoffman was in a Commission of Page Page14 14nnThe TheNSEA NSEAVoice VoicennSeptember September2009 2009

the county attorney on his behalf.

1:30 p.m.

Wehrbein meets Osborn to discuss the Elkhorn meeting. He says the goal is to change expectations. “I don’t feel they ever ask for enough, so we hope this will help encourage everyone to ask for more – at least $1,000 on the base.”

2:04 p.m.

A draft of a letter to the county attorney concerning the teacher she met at noon is prepared.

The deputy who interviewed students following the alleged assault is the parent of a student who was in the classroom at the time of the incident. Wehrbein suggests a conflict of interest on the part of the deputy – would the county attorney pass that on to the county sheriff?

The letter will be sent later, long after the case has been resolved.

2:30 p.m.

The principal from the school where the assault allegedly took place calls and wonders: should an e-mail be sent to staff? Wehrbein shares the text of an e-mail she has already sent to NSEA members at the school: the accused is

Industrial Relations hearing. The State of Nebraska appealed a Special Master ruling that favored the State Code Agency Teachers Association (SCATA).

The ruling set two precedents. First, it brought Lincoln and Omaha into the SCATA array; and second, it provides a $2,200 increase in base salary for two years.

2:30 – 3:30 p.m., UniServ Director

upbeat; calls or notes of support are appropriate. Also, it “is not a good idea to quiz him about what happened or will happen. The best way to quell rumors and misinformation is to not respond.”

4:05 p.m., On the road Headed to Elkhorn for the Learning Community Roundtable.

4:20 p.m.

A call from a member interviewing for a counseling job in another district.

Wehrbein knows the administrator who will conduct the interview. She offers advice that might be helpful.

4:25 p.m.

A call from a member who will meet with administrators Thursday to talk about skills improvement. Wehrbein checks her calendar. She’ll attend to protect the member’s interests.

5:45 p.m., Elkhorn At a local restaurant, the table arrangement is not right. Tugging and lugging chairs and tables, Wehrbein has the room re-set before anyone arrives.

5:58 p.m..

A member arrives. Wehrbein coached

Dan Studer left the LEA office for the Lincoln Public Schools District Office to meet with a member and a representative of Human Resources in regards to a job security situation – the second meeting on the issue in five days. At 3:25 p.m. a third meeting was set.

At 3:30 p.m., Studer met with another member and Human Resources personnel regarding allegations made against the member.

her son for a scholarship interview earlier in the year – and talk turns to job openings. The member’s district is hiring at every level. Wehrbein excuses herself to make a call to the member who called at 4:20 – this district has a counseling job!

6:30 p.m.

Dinner – a buffet – is ready.

6:50 p.m.

Wehrbein and Osborn begin introductions. Educator’s Health Alliance Plan Advocate Kurt Genrich opens with health care plan changes for 2009-10.

7:36 p.m.

Wehrbein and Osborn explain bargaining goals. Locals indicate a common theme from administrators is “there is no money,” even from a district that anticipates a $1.2 million state aid increase. The retirement contribution rate will go up next year, costing teachers an average of $350. Add increased health care deductible and co-pay costs, and $1,000 on base will be a break-even increase for most, says Wehrbein.

7:51 p.m.

State aid is on the table. The state has pledged that there will be no “cliff effect” in two years when federal stimulus dollars disappear, says Wehrbein.

8:47 p.m.

Meeting wrapped, last question answered. Wehrbein is homeward bound.

10:10 p.m., Home Office A last check of e-mail. A member needs directions to a job interview, plus apparel advice. A negotiator asks for an interpretation of state aid. A third member asks for help with an evaluation. The last is from an education support professional – an atwill employee – with questions about when he should expect to know whether or not he will have a job next fall.

NSEA Headquarters Remodeling Complete amount of asbestos was Barely 17 months after also removed. moving out of the 46-yearThe building now has old NSEA Headquarters more meeting space; is building, NSEA staff reheated and cooled using turned in mid-July. a geo-thermal well field In the interim, the drilled on the site; and building was gutted down has space and wiring for to concrete, steel and technology that should outer walls, and then reserve the Association modeled, refitted and rewell into the future. The roofed. handicapped accessibilStaff returned about ity has been enhanced, as two weeks ahead of the has building security. An scheduled completion date. The $4.6 million New look:The NSEA re- unused underground heatrenovation was approved modeling added a new ing oil tank on the propby NSEA members at the glass look to the east erty was removed and the grounds were landscaped.

2007 Delegate Assembly. side of the building.

Many of the materials In giving their blessing taken from the building during the defor the remodeling, NSEA members molition process were recycled. indicated a strong preference for conAfter the building was completed tinuing the Association’s now 78-year during the summer of 1962, the buildpresence across the street west of the ing design won national praise and State Capitol. The original proposal honors for its unique design. would have moved NSEA from the An open house at the building, at site it has occupied since 1931 to a new 605 S. 14th St., in Lincoln, will be held location elsewhere in Lincoln. at a later date.

Among some of the reasons for the For videos and photos documenting remodel: the mechanical systems were the process, check the home page of failing; the building was not energy the NSEA Web site at: efficient; and wiring for technology www.nsea.org needs was inadequate. A substantial

Postscript

Crystal Dwerlkotte’s request to step down as volleyball coach was granted.

Charges against the teacher accused of assaulting a student were dismissed. The CIR affirmed the Special Master ruling in the SCATA case, but the state has appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court.

The teacher in search of a counseling job did not get the job in the Learning Community school, but has moved to the metro area and is substitute teaching. By August 21, none of the schools at the evening roundtable had reported contract settlements.

September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 15

Resources You Can Use Science Teachers to Meet at Fremont Nebraska science educators will meet Oct. 8-10 at Fremont’s famed Camp Calvin Crest for the 48th Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science conference.

This year’s theme is Milestones in Science. The conference will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species. A highlight will be a presentation by Brian “Fox” Ellis, who will portray a middle-aged Charles Darwin on Thursday evening.

A variety of sessions and presentations from all K-12 disciplines, as well as field trips, are available for professional development.

Early bird registration must be postmarked by Sept. 11 to qualify for a reduced rate. Late registrations may be mailed, and participants may also register on-site. A Saturday-only rate is new this year for those who cannot attend during the week.

Pre-service teachers, and teachers in their first three years of teaching, are eligible for the New Teacher Scholarships, which cover registration, meals and lodging (a $170 value). Recipients are responsible for paying membership dues ($35) and any extra fees.

Instructions and registration forms for the New Teacher Scholarships are also available at the NATS web site at: http://www.neacadsci.org/nats/ Conferences/index.htm

Target Will Help Pay for Your Field Trip Get on board and get inspired! Target will award 5,000 grants of up to $800 each in 2010 to send students on exciting, enriching field trips. That means that students will be able to get hands-on with sculpture or go backstage at a theater! The Target Web site includes a “Field Trip Idea Generator” to help teachers research field trip ideas in their area.

In 2008-09, 25 Nebraska classrooms received the Target grants.

How can your classroom get in on the fun? Mark your calendar and visit the Target Web site to complete the easy online application before the Nov. 3 deadline. The Web site is at: Target.com/fieldtrips Page 16 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

Apply for NEA Foundation Grants!

The Foundation Recently Awarded $113,000; Deadlines for New Grant Applications are Near The NEA Foundation recently awarded 28 grants to public school educators totaling $113,000. The grants will fund work to improve education for students nationwide — the kind of work that Nebraska teachers do every day!

You can also be the recipient of such a grant. The next in a series of rolling grant deadlines for NEA Foundation monies is fast approaching!

Deadlines for the next review periods are Oct. 15, 2009; Feb. 1, 2010; and June 1, 2010.

The recent grants, of $2,000 or $5,000, were awarded to educators in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Brief descriptions of the proposals submitted by the award recipients can be found on the grants page of the NEA Foundation’s Web site, at: neafoundation.org The Foundation’s grant applications are now completed online. To guide educators through the new online process, the Foundation has also created an instructional video that walks prospective grantees through each step.

Both the application and the instructional video can also be found on the Foundation Web site grants page.

Dyslexia Assn. Hosts RtI Conference The Nebraska Branch of The International Dyslexia Association and the Friends of the Nebraska Dyslexia Association will host a statewide conference on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Omaha. The conference will focus on Response-to-Intervention’s (RtI) underlying, evidence-based foundations and provide an overview of what implementing RtI looks like in schools.

Featured will be W. David Tilly III, Ph.D., whose keynote address will be “Diagnosing the Learning Enabled.”

Tilly’s interactive presentation provides practical solutions to successfully deploy RtI. Tilly is Director of Innovation & Accountability for Heartland Area Education Agency 11, which serves 90 schools in central Iowa.

The conference will also offer a variety of sessions on evidence-based approaches for teaching spelling, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and writing.

Registration is $95 for non-members, $75 each for 10 or more from the same school district and $60 for students and International Dyslexia Association members. To receive conference announcements, send your

name, organization, mailing address in an email to: info@ne-ida.com The conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Omaha Home for Boys, 4343 N. 52nd St, Omaha. Full conference and registration details can be found at: www.ne-ida.com

Reading Assn. Seeks Program Proposals “Light the Torch for Literacy” is accepting program proposals for the Feb. 25-27, 2010, conference. Sponsored by the Nebraska State Reading Association, the annual conference is Nebraska’s foremost professional development event for reading and language arts.

For program proposal forms and to read the highlights of the featured speakers, go to the Web site at: www.nereads.org Program formats include 60-minute sessions, 90-minute workshops, and 20-minute poster sessions. Proposals should be sent to Dennis Dubry, Bayard Elementary School, P.O. Box 605, Bayard NE 69334, and must be received by Oct. 1. Proposals may also be e-mailed to Dubry at: ddubry@panesu.org

Building Skills: These local association negotiators added to their negotiations skills and knowledge by attending a three day “bargaining boot camp” in June. Seated, from left, are: Quention Zeller, Central City; Josh Asche, Loup City; Amy Hostetler, Loup City;Teresa Rinehart, ESU No. 15,Trenton; and Carolyn Campbell, Bayard. Standing, from left, are: Siobhana McEwen, Central City; Mike Shafer, Grand Island Northwest; Cindy Bahler, ESU No. 15,Trenton; Ray Girard, Nebraska City; Kevin Pettigrew,Valentine; David Cisler, Gering; and Burke Brown, Palmyra.

Bargaining Meet Will Build Skills

Commissioner Breed Will be Featured Luncheon Speaker Local association leaders will want to mark Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, on their calendars. Those are the dates set for NSEA’s 2009 Fall Bargaining and Advocacy Conference.

Commissioner of Education Roger Breed will be the keynote speaker at noon on Saturday.

The conference theme is “Tool Time for Teachers.” It will feature sessions on federal stimulus funding; roundtable and caucus discussions; 2010 legislative issues; salary schedules; and use of NSEA research tools. Also on the agenda in Saturday sectionals: n Bargaining strategies, tactics and table behavior. n Organizing and community support. n Unfair labor practices. n Financing: budgets, state aid, spending and lids. n Bargaining health insurance. n Member rights concerns.

Also back by popular demand: Contract Doctor sessions will be held Friday evening and Saturday.

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn at Kearney. Friday night registration begins at 5:30 p.m., with sessions set to start at 7 p.m. Saturday’s

schedule opens with registration at 7:30 a.m., and sessions at 8:30 a.m.

To make a reservation at the Holiday Inn, call 1-308-237-5971 or 1-800-4654329. Rooms are also available at the Wingate Inn (1-308-237-4400). Rates at both hotels are $70, plus tax, for one to four persons. The room block will be

released on Sept. 11.

There are limited scholarship dollars available for those locals in need.

For details, contact your UniServ director or Jan Anderson at at 1-800-7420047. A conference Web site is at: http://nsea.org/members/bargaining/ advocacy09.htm

September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 17

NSEA/Blue Cross Blue Shield Scholarship Application Form

I’m an NSEA member, enrolled with single or family membership in Blue Cross/Blue Shield. This application is for fall semester college course work and should be postmarked no later than Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. All blanks must be completed for application to be considered. Applications may also be completed and submitted online at www.nsea.org.

1. Applicant Name:______________________________________________________________BC/BS No:__ __ __ __ __ __-__ __-__ __ __ __

(First) (Last) (Complete, with full ID number from BC/BS card) Home Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Street) (City) (State) (Zip)

Home Phone: (____)_________________ E-mail Address:____________________________________________________________________

Local Education Association: _______________________________________________________________Years of Work in Education Field:____

(Full local Association name; no acronyms accepted) College Offering Course:__________________________________________________________________No. of Credit Hours:____________

(Only eligible for 3 hrs. per semester) Course Title:_____________________________________________________________________________Course Dates: ___/___to___/___

(Mo/Yr to Mo/Yr)

(Class must end within Fall time frame)

2. Coursework will apply toward (check all that apply): ___Salary Advancement ___Professional Growth ___Additional Endorsement ___Master’s Degree ___Specialist Degree ___Ph.D. ___Other (please list):__________________________________________________________________ 3. The following four criteria MUST be completed and attached and should not exceed one typewritten page. Please be specific: 1. My local/NSEA/NEA association involvement. Be specific.

3. A summary of my work experience in education. Be specific.

2. A summary of my education. Be specific.

4. A description of the class — must be a graduate-level class.

Application postmark deadline: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 Complete application online at www.nsea.org, or mail this form to: Blue Cross/Blue Shield Professional Development Fund c/o NSEA Suite 200 605 S. 14th St. Lincoln, NE 68508-2742

BCBS Application Date: Oct. 3 You won’t get a scholarship if you don’t apply – and application time has arrived.

The next application deadline for the thrice-yearly Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Professional Development Fund scholarship awards is Saturday, Oct. 3.

Over the past 24 years, since 1986, 4,270 NSEA members have shared $535,500 in scholarship dollars, courtesy of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska.

To be eligible, Association members must complete the application form on this page, or the similar form found on the NSEAWeb site. The online form may also be printed, completed and mailed to NSEA. The form will be posted on the NSEA Web site through the Oct. 3 deadline. Completed application forms must be postmarked by Oct. 3.

Scholarship winners will be notified in October. As always, the goal is to Page 18 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

award stipends to the largest possible number of members from each of NSEA’s seven governance districts. To be eligible, NSEA members must be covered by either single or family Blue Cross/Blue Shield health care.

Scholarships may be used to pursue an advanced degree, seek additional teaching endorsements or to take course work for certification requirements.

Previous scholarship applicants, successful or not, are always eligible to re-apply. Applicants may be scholarship recipients in only two of the three scholarship cycles during a school year.

Applicants must carefully follow the instructions on the form, and complete it thoroughly. A one-page, typewritten outline, described on the application form, must accompany the scholarship request. (To review the criteria the committee follows in awarding scholarships, please log on to the NSEA Web site and look for BC/BS

Scholarships.)

Stipends may cover up to 50 percent of the cost of a three-hour college course. Each applicant may apply for scholarship dollars for no more than three hours of course work. Books and other supplies are not covered.

Winners must provide evidence of successful completion of course work at an accredited post-secondary institution before they receive the scholarship. All courses must be taken for credit.

The scholarship program does not affect Blue Cross and Blue Shield premiums. Funds for the scholarships come entirely from the corporate contributions budget, and are not charged against the NSEA account.

To find the form, or to apply online, go to the NSEA Web site at: www.nsea.org For details, contact Sally Bodtke at 1-800-742-0047 or via e-mail at: sally.bodtke@nsea.org

NEA Member Benefits Snookie’s Snippets Because we understand how important it is to be able to save money as you prepare for a new school year, NEA Member Benefits has negotiated several special offers and discounts to help you get what you need without overloading your budget.

We’ve made it easier for you to access these great deals Krumbiegel in one place – just visit the ‘Welcome Back’ page in the Professional Resources Channel at neamb.com. These promotions are good until Oct. 15: n Barnes & Noble: Get 10 percent discount. n uBoost.com: Get 60 percent off of membership to this online student rewards program. n Instructor Magazine: Get a free one year subscription. n Kmart: Receive special savings on clothing & school supplies. n SmileMakers: Get 10 percent off school supplies. n Rapid Resources: Receive a free, 30-day trial for individualized lesson plans.

‘Welcome Back’ from NEA MB!

Members Deserve All the Savings and Support Member Benefits can Provide The staff at NEA Member Benefits know how vital it is for NSEA members to save money in these times. They’ve negotiated several new money-saving offers for the new school year (see Snookie Krumbiegel’s notes on this page) to help members do just that. Add this option to the list: n Bank of America’s Special Back to School Offer: Receive a $50 statement credit when you apply and use your new NEA Credit Card with WorldPoints rewards to make transactions totaling at least $75 within 45 days of opening your account. For details, visit the “Welcome Back” section on neamb.com.

More Resources and Support Managing time between family, school and everything else isn’t easy.

That’s why, on neamb.com, members will find resources like lesson plans and activities ; grants for funding; and articles with tips on everything from planning meals to fitting an exercise routine into

your schedule. Also available: n Weekly newsletters like The Dish and Kitchen Timesavers give pointers on how to prepare easy, delicious recipes in no time. n Members can learn about available grant opportunities, or how to write a compelling grant proposal – NEA Member Benefits did the research to save members precious time. Just look in the Professional Resources tab. n In the Health & Wellness Channel, members will find a wealth of articles and tools to not only make exercise more fun, but time-efficient, too.

If you haven’t already – register online at neamb.com to take advantage of all the great deals, and to enter for your chance to win some valuable backto-school sweepstakes prizes.

Check back often, as Member Benefits will give away a different prize every two weeks! Look for the Welcome Back banner or go to the Professional Resources tab on the Web site at: neamb.com

Did You Know?

Fully 86 percent of NEA members are underinsured.

September is “Life Insurance Awareness Month.” Check out the special interest article “The Seven Wonders of Life Insurance” provided by the non-profit LIFE Foundation – a partner of NEA Member Benefits.

Go to neamb.com to test your insurance IQ and become eligible to win one of one hundred $100 gift cards.

September Sweepstakes Prizes Check the NEA Member Benefits web site to learn more about your chances to win a $500 gift card to Macy’s, or a Dell laptop computer.

Register to win at: www.neamb.com Snookie Krumbiegel is Nebraska’s NEA Member Benefits representative

September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 19

BCBS Q&A

Will Your Deductible Change?

By Kurt Genrich EHA Plan Advocate Sept. 1 has passed, and many Nebraska school districts have reviewed their Educator’s Health Alliance health and dental plans, as administered through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. Some school districts have moved to higher deductibles. Common questions associated with this change: My school moves to a higher deductible on Sept. 1. Am I responsible for my previous deductible amount or the new deductible amount for the remainder of this calendar year?

Your annual deductible is in effect per calendar year, January through December. If there were a new, higher deductible on Sept. 1, then the full amount up to the new deductible limit is your responsibility through Dec. 31, 2009. On Jan. 1, 2010, your contribution toward another annual deductible starts over at $0.

For example: Your deductible was $200 until it was changed to $350 on Sept. 1. If you have spent $150 in eligible medical claims from January 2009 through August 2009, then the remain-

Surveying Change State Sen. Tom White of Omaha, right, spent time on Aug. 7 thanking many of the hundreds of volunteers who helped with a one day makeover of the playground at Benson West Elementary School, which is in White’s legislative district.

The makeover was part of a Mutual of Omaha celebration of the company’s centennial. Scores of Mutual of Omaha employees were among the volunteers who rolled out new sod, repainted playground markings, erected new equipment added new plantings.

Page 20 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

ing deductible of $200 will be your responsibility through Dec. 31, 2009.

My school is moving to a higher deductible on Jan. 1, 2010. How will this affect my deductible and premium this year?

This year there will be an acrossthe-board increase of $50 to all current deductibles in place as of Sept. 1, 2009.

If your school is going to increase your deductible, many will wait until January to make this change because it can be confusing. If your school is planning to increase the deductible on Jan. 1, 2010, the premium payments for this new deductible take effect at that time.

What is a “Deductible CarryOver,” and how does it affect me?

Your plan through EHA contains a “Deductible Carry-Over.” What this

means is that if you did not meet your 2009 deductible, but had some medical claims in the last three months of the year (October, November, December), those claims will be credited toward your new 2010 year calendar deductible.

For example: You did not use any services throughout 2009 but then had to go to Urgent Care in November.

Urgent Care billed you $200 toward your deductible. The $200 you pay in November would be subtracted from your total deductible for 2010.

If you have questions about your plan, please call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Member Services at 1-800-642-6004.

The Educators Health Alliance has contracted with Kurt Genrich to serve as the EHA plan advocate. As such, Genrich will work with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska plan participants to answer questions and promote the plan. The EHA Board of Directors is composed of six NSEA representatives, and three each from the Nebraska Association of School Genrich Boards and the Nebraska Council of School Administrators. NSEA Executive Director Craig R. Christiansen chairs the EHA Board of Directors.

To reach Genrich, e-mail him at: kurt@ehaplan.org

From the Executive Director

Boone’s Bones One of the great stories of American history is the life of Daniel Boone. He remains a subject of curiosity, scholarly research, controversy, debate and historical interest. Authors, scholars, and fifth grade American History students all seek to understand the meaning of Daniel Boone to America.

In Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, sits a beautiful monument marking the grave of Daniel and Rebecca Boone. My friend Jana Sturm, a resident of Frankfort, acted as my guide when I recently visited that site. When I mentioned the idea that Boone might actually be buried in Missouri, Jana passionately discounted the idea. I’m smart enough to always support my friends, so I agreed with my Kentucky friend Jana.

But who knows for sure? And why is it so important?

method of content delivery.

Latest Attempt Many educators have suffered through retooling, restructuring and realigning. Now the current buzzword is transformation. It’s the latest in a long series of attempts to address the problem of change in American schools.

Is change needed? Absolutely. The inherited school structure of the past is still being used to address problems for which it was never designed.

Society has changed; students have changed; expectations have changed; basic school structure has not. What was an acceptable level of failure 30 to 40 years ago is simply no longer an option. The average dropout rate in America has remained unchanged for the last 30 years. It is a failure of our system that is unacceptable — and yet the system itself has not significantly changed. We are attempting to get different results from the same basic structural approach.

Alive and Ineffective The fact is that we often try to establish the validity of our institutions, ideas, or practices by trying to trace a kind of genealogy back to their origins — and then cementing them in place.

Bones of the Past We try to preserve the views It is ironic as educators to of the “Founding Fathers.” When watch the current debate on interpretations of the Constitution health care. Proposals to change are made, the question always an admittedly failing health care involves the intent of the authors system elicit angry responses in 1787. In debates on some Is Daniel Boone really there? NSEA Executive and denials of the obvious. Will public issues, history alone Director Craig R. Christiansen and friend Jana public education suffer the same Sturm visiting the Frankfort, KY, gravesite of fate? determines the outcome.

It is ironic that a culture that Daniel Boone.

The solution is not easy. As is characterized by continual educators, we must acknowledge innovation and development is also a culture that always that part of the legitimate frustration with public validates the present in terms of connection to its past. education is the inability of the system to substantively Since the release of A Nation at Risk in 1983, the school change to meet new conditions. Never shy away from reform movement has been alive and…almost totally telling your story and educating those around you about ineffective in America. Today, there are more than 20 the realities of the job you face. We will not succeed by major coalitions and initiatives with a national focus on continuing to only talk about change while protecting the school restructuring, with seemingly endless discussion structural relics of a historical system. Public educators of the recognized problems. But, as yet, they’ve arrived are overworked, underpaid, and often wasted as talented at no effective strategy that substantively changes the professionals. Demand to join as an active participant in current structure. the discussions about transforming public education. As Schools I visit across the nation are predictably teachers, we value the past. We also know that a radically the same: how teachers are paid, the length of the different present demands radically different solutions. school day, the months that school is in session, the Do we work towards new solutions or just keep protecting structural aspects of age-grouped classes, and the the bones of the past?

September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 21

NSEA-Retired Corner

The Time to Take Action is Now Contact Your Congressman About the Need to Address Health Care Reform If you do nothing else, read this.

As one of the retired senior citizens living on a teacher’s pension and Social Security, in one of the few states that fully taxes both of your pension incomes, you already know that your insurance premiums, hospital bills and drug costs increase faster than your income. Every day you worry about being able to afford to stay healthy.

You need help, as do millions of other seniors, families with children, and the uninsured. Perhaps you feel your plight is ignored by opponents of health care reform and that special-interest lobbyists resist legislation that threatens their corporate profits.

Perhaps you’ve read or heard some of the distortions coming from opponents who say “kill the bills at any cost” or “obstruct the President.” They send people to the town meetings to prevent you from hearing honest debate.

The opposition tries to frighten citizens with talk that the health care reforms encourage euthanasia and abortion; provide free health care to non-citizens; force you to change your doctor or insurance provider and go into a government plan; create a rationing system in which the government will determine which life-saving procedures you may have; reduce senior citizens’ Medicare benefits; will bankrupt America; and so on and on and on. None of this is true.

It’s a scare tactic to convince you to work against any health care reform.

Take Action If you do nothing else, write three letters: one each to your two U.S. Senators and to your member of the House of Representatives. Tell them, through your story, that we need action against the serious effect of spiraling health costs on our limited incomes.

Here are addresses and phone numbers of those elected representatives: U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson 720 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2706 Phone: 1-202-224-6551 U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns 404 Russell Senate Office Building Page 22 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

And the winners are: A scholarship award luncheon was held at the Governor’s Mansion recently to award four $1,000 scholarships to students preparing to enter the teaching profession.The scholarships were presented by the Lincoln Education Association-Retired and Union Bank and Trust.

Front row, from left, are scholarship winners Amanda Wiemer and Christy Firestone; First Lady Sally Ganem; and LEA-Retired Scholarship Committee member Jo Wolff.

In the back row, from left, are Union Bank and Trust representative Tammy Gebers; scholarship winners Elizabeth Smith and Rebecca Neff; and LEARetired Scholarship Committee member Mary Lou Sandell.

Washington, DC 20510-2705 Phone: 1-202-224-4224 Rep. Jeff Fortenberry 1535 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2701 Phone: 1-202-225-4806 Rep. Lee Terry 2331 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2702 Phone: 1-202-225-4155 Rep. Adrian Smith 503 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2703 Phone: 1-202-225-6435 The Lincoln Education Association-Retired 2009-10 The president of the LEA-Retired is Jan Stamper. She can be reached at 402-

483-1672 or via e-mail at: jstamper@inebraska.com Other officers are Janice Rowe, vice president; Linda Brown, secretary; and Billie Bussmann, treasurer.

The LEA-Retired Board meets the second Thursday of the month at the LEA Building, 48th and Normal, and holds general meetings on the third Wednesday of the month at Union Bank, 48th and Calvert streets.

LEA-Retired members have set a full agenda for the year, and hope to raise funds for the scholarships they award at a luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion in May (see related photo).

They also make a trip to the Joslyn Sculpture Gardens in Omaha, tour the city of Lincoln, and hold informative meetings with several speakers. For details contact Jan. — Tom Black, Editor wpc6296@cableone.net

UniServ Shuffle to Improve Service OEA Gets Second UniServ Director

Editorial honors: The State Education Editors honored Al Koontz, NSEA’s assistant director of communications, with the organization’s highest honor, Editor of the Year.

The award was given at SEE’s annual conference, held this year in San Diego. At left is NSEA Graphic Arts Director and Webmaster Kristi Capek. At right is NSEA Director of Communications and Assistant Director of Government Relations Karen Kilgarin.

Added Liability for Nurses Available Plan Also Covers Athletic Trainers

Nurses who teach or supervise in the medical arts area don’t want to work without the NEA Educators Employment Liability Program Insurance.

For the very low fee of $13, NEA has made arrangements for nurses and other health educators and athletic trainers to purchase additional liability insurance coverage for teaching and supervisory responsibilities.

The policy for active and active part-time NSEA members, covers school nurses for: Rendering first-aid and regular nursing services as a part of the member’s educational employment.

Administering oral prescription medicine to students, if advance written authorization has been provided.

In addition to nurses, eligible school employees include dental hygienists, occupational therapists or physical therapists. NSEA members who are athletic trainers may also receive the additional coverage for $13.

NSEA members wishing to purchase this extended coverage should mail a letter requesting the coverage, along with a check for $13, payable to NSEA, to: Trish Guinan, NSEA, Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508-2742. Be sure to include your Social Security number and indicate your occupation (school nurse). Also include your home and work telephone numbers.

Checks for the 2009-10 school year must be received by Oct. 1, 2009. Checks received after that date will provide coverage for the remaining months of the employment year.

For more details, call NSEA at 1-800-742-0047.

Spurred by changes for service requested by the Omaha Education Association, there has been a shuffling of assignments in NSEA’s UniServ director staff.

Earlier this year, the OEA Board of Directors opted to depart from the executive director form Yates Sedlacek of management and replace that position with a full-time UniServ director, giving OEA two UniServ directors. The OEA Board also asked NSEA to manage those positions.

Long-time NSEA UniServ Director Ellen Yates was tabbed to fill the new OEA UniServ post. She most recently served southwest Nebraska and has 18 years of experience as a UniServ director in Nebraska.

“This change will give our Omaha members something they’ve not had in the past – two full-time UniServ directors,” said NSEA Executive Director Craig R. Christiansen. “In terms of pure service to members, we believe this will be a much better arrangement for Omaha members.”

Yates, who claims she was “born in a union t-shirt,” has worked out of Scottsbluff, serving western and southwestern Nebraska since she joined NSEA in 1991. She is well-versed in member rights issues, contract language and negotiations.

She taught middle school reading and language arts, and has a master’s degree from Southwest Missouri State University.

Selected to take Yates’ former position in southwest Nebraska is North Platte native Kristen Sedlacek. She earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2001 and completed her student teaching with the York Public Schools.

After graduation, she worked in then-State Sen. Kermit Brashear’s office for three years before taking a job with a lobbying firm. She joined NSEA’s Lincoln office three years ago, and worked with NSEA’s Member Rights department.

Sedlacek, her husband Jeremy and their daughter Faith plan to relocate to North Platte in the near future.

Basilico was Middle School Teacher Louis (Lou) Basilico, 61, retired from the Omaha Public Schools, died in Clarkston, WA, on Aug. 7, 2009.

Active in the Omaha Education Association and the NSEA, and a member of NSEA-Retired, Basilico taught at the middle school and high school level for many years. He taught English, social studies, computer literacy and drama, and coached debate and stagecraft.

A Central High School graduate, he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He began substitute teaching and earned a full-time job with the Omaha Public Schools in 1977.

In 2008, Basilico and his wife, Linda, retired to Lewiston, ID, where they built their dream home.

September 2009 n The NSEA Voice n Page 23

Speaking of Teaching “No society that loved children would consign nearly one in five to poverty. No society that loved its children would put them in front of television for four hours each day. No society that loved its children would lace their food, air, water, and soil with thousands of chemicals whose total effect cannot be known. No society that loved its children would build so many prisons and so few parks and schools. No society that loved its children would teach them to recognize over 1000 corporate logos but fewer than a dozen plants and animals native to their home places. No society that loved its children would divorce them so completely from contact with soils, forests, streams, and wildlife... No society that loved its children would knowingly run even a small risk of future climatic disaster.”

— David Orr, author.

Oberlin College professor

Mercy Moment Extra Credit From Ronda Jackson, Roseboro, N.C.: “I don’t give true extra credit. I give each student two Mercy Moments at the beginning of the semester. These gifts can be used as a pass to turn in an assignment one day late with no penalty, or as a pass to retake a test or quiz. If students never need to use them, they trade them in at the end of the semester for points on low test grades or as a pass to not complete exam review (only if exempt from final exam). Students love the Mercy Moments; they have a little cushion if they need it, but they also have an incentive to try not to use them. This program is also good leverage with parents. When they ask if I give extra credit, I explain the concept of the Mercy Moment.”

Sign up for Works4Me at this link: http://www.nea.org/tools/Works4Me.html Page 24 n The NSEA Voice n September 2009

Mailed By: The Nebraska State Education Association

Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508-2742

Family of Teachers

A long reach: The Windeshausen family has spread far and wide in the teaching profession. The family of teachers H. Nicholas and Joyce Windeshausen includes 17 members with ties to Wayne State College and time spent teaching.

Seated, from left, are: sister-in-law Patricia Tubbs Windeshausen, retired after 24 years teaching in Nebraska and Iowa; sister Catherine Windeshausen Kear, who taught in a Pierce County rural school; H. Nicholas Windeshausen, retired after teaching at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Sacramento (CA) State University; aunt Alice Korth, retired from Knox and Pierce County rural schools; and niece by marriage Beth Manzer, Osmond Community Schools.

Second row, from left, are: cousin Carol Bremer, retired from classrooms in Nebraska and California; niece Kristin Henkenius, who has taught for 20 years at Fremont; sister Theresa Rice, who is retired from Osmond Public Schools; sister-in-law Carolyn Windeshausen, who is retired from Fremont; niece by marriage Karla Rice, who teaches at Osmond; and niece Jean Condon, who teaches at North Platte Community College.

Third row, from left, are: cousin by marriage Donald Bremer, retired from California schools; brother Eugene Windeshausen, retired from Sioux City, IA, schools; brother Jim Windeshausen, retired from Fremont; great niece Jennifer VonRentzell, Plainview Public Schools; cousin Dennis Korth, who taught at Council Bluffs; and cousin by marriage Gale Theo Korth, who taught in Iowa and Minnesota.

Not pictured are cousin Glenn Blezek, retired from California schools; cousin Holly Korth, Seward Public Schools; niece by marriage Sue Morfeld, Osmond Public Schools; cousin Patricia Sedivy, Newcastle Public Schools; nephew Chad Windeshausen, Omaha Public Schools; and niece by marriage Julie Windeshausen, Fremont Public Schools.

If you have a family of teachers, send your photo and information to Family of Teachers, c/o NSEA, Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508-2742.